market gauge: On Friday, the key market gauge lost 153.96 points, marking the lowest finish since Feb. 9, according to The Japan Times. The Topix index of all first-section issues finished up 4.43 points, or 0.29 percent, at 1,517.03, after shedding 14.99 points the previous trading day. The 225-issue Nikkei average gained 73.97 points, or 0.39 percent, to end at 18,983.23. Buying took the upper hand from the beginning of Monday's trading as the BOJ's quarterly survey in March, released just before the opening bell, showed that the diffusion index gauging large manufacturers' views on their current business conditions improved for the second consecutive quarter, brokers said. Although the BOJ survey results fell short of market expectations, the improvement in business sentiment helped prompt buying on dips, said Chihiro Ota, general manager for investment research and investor services at SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. The Dow Jones industrial average's fall on Friday and the yen's strength against the dollar somewhat capped the market's topside, but buybacks and buying on dips after the market's recent falls pushed up stocks in late trading, with the Nikkei average briefly retaking 19,000, brokers said.
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