The Nikkei stock index briefly rose over 2 percent Friday morning to above the 52,000 line for the first time, boosted by strong tech shares following robust earnings of some in the sector in the United States overnight. At 9:50 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average was up 1,065.84 points from Thursday at 52,391.45, hitting a record intraday high. The Nikkei index extended gains to more than 1,000 points, as heavyweight semiconductor firms and companies related to artificial intelligence got a boost from upbeat earnings from U.S. e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc. and tech firm Apple Inc. A weaker yen also helped lift some exporter shares.