That 26-Year High in Japan Stocks Is Really 0.03% Gain in Decade

Pedestrians are reflected in an electronic stock board outside a securities firm in Tokyo, Japan.Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
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Not everyone was celebrating wildly when Japan’s Topix index closed at its highest level since 1991.

The benchmark stock gauge rose 0.2 percent on Wednesday, surpassing its previous high from February 2007 to reach the latest peak in a rally that has Tokyo bulls salivating. But Jonathan Allum, who’s been watching the Asian country’s equities for years, put the milestone into perspective.