Tokyo stocks ends high on Yen's slide

Tokyo stocks made big gains Wednesday, with the Nikkei Stock Average surging 416.83 points, or 3.77%, to end the day at 11,463.75, a new post-financial crisis high.  The benchmark index rose to its highest point since Sept. 29, 2008, and the rise was the steepest since the jump logged on March 16, 2011, according to Nikkei.com.  The dollar strengthened to the 94 yen level, prompting investors to buy a broad range of exporters. Futures trading helped push up the benchmark Nikkei average amid expectations that stocks will rise further. The trading value on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange totaled 2.81 trillion yen on a preliminary basis, the largest amount since March 16, 2011.