Market Gauge: Points and Jackson Hole

market gauge: On Thursday, the key market gauge advanced 9.44 points. ; The Topix index of all first-section issues finished up 4.19 points, or 0.28 percent, at 1,502.25, after rising 0.55 point the previous day, according to The Japan Times. After starting slightly weaker, the Nikkei turned up on the yen's drop against the dollar, robust Chinese stocks and an uptick in futures on the U.S. Dow Jones industrial average in off-hours trading. The 225-issue Nikkei average rose 82.90 points, or 0.40 percent, to close at 20,710.91 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. In the afternoon, Tokyo stocks moved in a narrow range as players retreated to the sidelines prior to Powell's speech at the closely watched annual financial symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, later Friday. Investors are reluctant to move their positions until they confirm whether Powell will make dovish or hawkish comments on interest rates in the speech, Tomoaki Fujii, head of the investment research division at Akatsuki Securities Inc., noted. The market was quiet before the weekend and the Fed chief's speech, with few foreign players taking part in trading, Chihiro Ota, general manager for investment research and investor services at SMBC Nikko Securities Inc., said. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.