S&P Raises Matsushita, Mitsubishi Electric, Fujitsu Ratings
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By Kyodo News International, Tokyo  Feb. 9--TOKYO -- Standard & Poor's Ratings Service said Friday it has  raised its ratings for Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Mitsubishi Electric  Corp. and Fujitsu Ltd. by one notch each due to improving profitability and  cash flows.
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Shares in LG.Philips LCD Co Ltd  surged on Friday on market talk Japan's Matsushita Electric Industrial was buying a stake in the South Korean flat screen maker, but both firms poured cold water on the talk.
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Japan's Nikkei average rose 0.67 percent to its highest close in 7 years on Monday after a strong jobs report in the U.S., and higher-than-expected machinery orders in Japan spurred buying of machinery and tech stocks including Fanuc Ltd. .
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Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd.,  the maker of Panasonic brand products, reported a 5 percent  rise in quarterly operating profit, driven by robust sales of  flat TVs, and it kept its full-year outlook.
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Nissan Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. stocks rose as Asian automakers grabbed a record share of the US auto market last month, the world&#39;s largest, after gaining on General Motors Corp.
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Tokyo stocks rose two percent by Monday  afternoon with shippers, steel firms and auto makers the main  targets for broad buying after a capital spending survey  boosted optimism that economic growth figures will be revised  up.
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THE Standard &amp; Poor&#39;s 500 Index rose as a government report showed factory orders for items such as computers and electronics climbed last month, suggesting strength in manufacturing.
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The Nikkei average rose 1.22 percent on  Thursday as Wall Street's gains fueled buying of exporters such  as Honda Motor Co. Ltd. and a rebound in crude oil and other  commodities prices lifted trading houses such as Mitsubishi  Corp.
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Tokyo stocks edged up on Thursday as tech  issues bounced back after their U.S counterparts made gains,  but car firms such as Honda Motor Co. Ltd. were a bit lower,  hurt by a fall in U.S. industry sales for August.
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Japanese stocks surged Wednesday as investors gave new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a vote of confidence that he will carry on economic reforms. Wall Street's overnight gains also buoyed the market.
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The Nikkei average was up 0.34 percent by  midsession on Thursday as buyers went after companies with  solid earnings prospects such as Furukawa Electric Co. and  Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd., while the dollar's recovery helped  auto makers.
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Japanese stocks rose Friday, led by electronics shares following Nasdaq's rally in the U.S. and a joint-venture agreement by Toshiba and Sharp in the liquid crystal display business.
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Standard &amp; Poor&#39;s on Friday upgraded the debt ratings for Illinois Power Co. to investment grade status, after the company was acquired by investment-grade rated Ameren Corp.
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Shares of electronics maker Kenwood Corp. &lt;6765.T&gt; jumped as much as 10 percent on Monday on news it has resumed talks with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. &lt;6752.T&gt; to buy a stake in JVC &lt;6792.T&gt; after a deal with private equity firm Texas Pacific...
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TOKYO: Japan&#39;s Nikkei average inched higher on Thursday, helped by gains in steel producers like JFE Holdings after Nissan Motor said it was suffering from a shortage of steel.
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A stronger-than-expected reading on  Japanese machinery orders pushed up machinery stocks such as  industrial robot maker Fanuc Ltd. on Monday, sending the Nikkei  average 0.55 percent higher.
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The Standard & Poor's 500 index  hit a lifetime high in late-session trading on Friday as stocks rose on news that General Electric Co  increased a stock-buyback plan and a report showed consumer sentiment rose in early July.