Tokyo Stocks Open Up 0.19%

Tokyo stocks opened up 0.19 per cent on Monday after Wall Street edged higher to a new record.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index was 30.00 points higher at 15,454.59 at the start.

Stocks are likely to trade in a range-bound fashion Monday, following two straight days of modest Nikkei declines, traders said.

New York shares edged higher, while the dollar recovered to the 104-yen level on Friday, but more fundamental trading cues remain sparse, said Investrust CEO Hiroyuki Fukunaga.

"Small-capital stocks continue to be in favour, but... it's not enough to keep the broader indexes moving forward.

"The Nikkei consistently retreats when it hits the mid-15,000 level," he told Dow Jones Newswires.

The broad US-market gauge S&P 500 closed August with another record, continuing its slow climb even as tensions pick up in Ukraine and after Britain warned of a possible terror attack.

The index rose 0.33 per cent to finish at a highest-ever 2,003.37, while the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.11 per cent at 17,098.45.

The dollar was 104.17 yen in early Asian trade, up from 104.06 yen in New York Friday afternoon.

The euro bought $1.3128 and 136.77 yen against $1.3139 and 136.72 yen in US trade