Nikkei jumps 2.2%, posts biggest gain in a week

Investor sentiment up on hopes for upbeat US jobs report later in the day

Japan's Nikkei average jumped 2.2% on Friday, moving away from a four-month low hit earlier this week, as investor sentiment brightened on hopes for an upbeat US jobs report later in the day.

The Nikkei ended at 14,462.41, recovering from a four-month trough of 13,995.86 set on Wednesday. It was the biggest daily percentage rise since January 29.

For the week, however, the Nikkei dropped 3%, its fifth consecutive week of declines.

The Topix added 2.3% on the day to 1,189.14.

The JPX-Nikkei Index 400, an index launched this year comprised of firms with high return on equity and strong corporate governance, rose 2.2% to 10,737.56.

The US nonfarm payrolls report is expected to show that employers added 185,000 jobs in January, according to the median estimate of economists polled by Reuters.