Nikkei opened 0.39 percent higher Wednesday as a falling yen and robust U.S. economic gauges stirred expectations for strong business performances of export-oriented firms. At 9:15 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average was up 55.77 points, or 0.39 percent, from Tuesday at 14,367.75, after climbing to as high as 14,512.28. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was up 14.40 points, or 1.23 percent, at 1, 182.67.