TOKYO, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The benchmark Nikkei stock index extended its winning streak to a record 15th straight day on Monday, with investors reacting positively to Japan's ruling coalition's win in the general election on Sunday.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average added 239.01 points, or 1.11 percent, from Friday, to close the day at 21,696.65, marking its highest closing level since July 1996.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, gained 14.61 points, or 0.84 percent, to finish at 1,745.25.
The majority of industry categories on the main section closed in positive territory, with pulp and paper, electric appliance and insurance-linked issues leading the rally and rising issues beating falling ones by 1,639 to 313, on the First Section, with 80 ending the day unchanged.
On the main section on Monday, 1,582.07 million shares changed hands, rising from Friday's volume of 1,522.22 million shares.
The turnover on the first trading day of the week came to 2,594.2 billion yen (22.80 billion U.S. dollars).
