Tokyo stocks open higher on Wall Street's lead, ECB's policy decision

TOKYO, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks opened higher Friday following Wall Street's positive lead overnight and on the European Central Bank's decision to scale back its quantitative easing program at a more moderate pace than initial median economists' expectations.

As of 9:15 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average gained 94.99 points, or 0.44 percent, from Thursday to 21,834.77.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, added 5.90 points, or 0.34 percent, at 1,759.80.

Bank, information and communication, and insurance-oriented issues led those that gained the most in the opening minutes after the morning bell.