Photo/Illutration The Nikkei 225 index on Jan. 6 rises above the record close of 52,411.34 set on Oct. 31 last year. (Chihaya Inagaki)

The Nikkei 225 index closed at a record high 52,518.08 on Jan. 6 as buying spread across a broad range of stocks, mainly oil-related, following the U.S. military action against Venezuela.

The benchmark index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange ended the day up 685.28 points from the close on Jan. 5 and shattered the previous record of 52,411.34 set on Oct. 31 last year.

The Nikkei index opened 324 points higher and continued to rise, extending the strong upward trend from Jan. 5, the first trading day of the year on the TSE, when the index soared 1,493 points.

The TSE rally follows a surge in U.S. markets on Jan. 5, when energy stocks led gains after the U.S. military operation in Venezuela sparked optimism about future investment in the U.S. oil industry.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 594.79 points to finish at 48,977.18, a record high.

At one point, the Dow climbed more than 800 points, briefly reaching the 49,000 range and updating the intraday record high.

U.S. President Donald Trump signaled that major U.S. oil companies plan to invest in Venezuela and rebuild its energy sector, lifting sentiment across the oil industry and driving energy shares higher.

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