Nikkei jumps 3% on U.S. inflation data, yen firm vs. dollar

Tokyo's Nikkei index ended at a two-month high Friday after briefly soaring more than 3 percent while the yen remained firm against the U.S. dollar, with U.S. inflation data fueling speculation the U.S. Federal Reserve may slow its pace of interest rate hikes.The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended up 817.47 points, or 2.98 percent, from Thursday at 28,263.57. The index ended above the psychologically-important 28,000 mark for the first time since Sept. 13. The broader Topix index finished 41.10 points, or 2.12 percent, higher at 1,977.76.On the top-tier Prime Market, gainers were led by e…READ FULL ARTICLE