Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock index logs another record high close as world markets rally

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock index has ended at a record high close. The share benchmark gained 2% to 41,580.17. The Nikkei 225 index also hit a record high last week, propelled skyward by strong buying enthusiasm and gains on Wall Street. Both foreign and domestic investors have piled into the Japanese market in recent months even as the economy has slowed. Part of the attraction is the weakness of the Japanese yen, which is trading at 34-year lows against the dollar.