Japanese share market ended higher on Thursday, 05 March 2015, powered by yen depreciation against the greenback, with export related companies being major gainers. The market opened lower following a negative lead from Wall Street overnight but buying picked up on the back of a recovery trend in the domestic economy and corporate earnings. The Nikkei Stock Average advanced by 48.24 points, or 0.26%, to close at 18751.84, off an intra-day high of 18767.50 and day low of 18655.36. The broader Topix index increased by 6.71 points, or 0.44%, to 1523.72.
Market gains were, however, limited as shareholders turning eyes to the European Central Bank's (ECB) policy meeting on Thursday and Friday's official US jobs report for February. ECB president Mario Draghi is expected to unveil details of the bank's huge bond-purchase programme, which launches this month in a bid to ward off deflation in the eurozone and kickstart growth. The ECB's stance is in stark contrast to the Federal Reserve's plan to exit crisis support, having ended its asset-purchasing plan in October while it is now planning to increase interest rate later this year.
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