Stock prices recovered slightly and the U.S. dollar edged lower against the Japanese yen in Friday morning trading. The Nikkei Stock Average of 225 selected issues, which plunged 431.69 points Thursday, the third largest single-day decline this year, was up by 30.74 points at 26,965.00 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Dealers said share prices started to recover as the foreign exchange market stabilized. The dollar, which rose 1.73 yen on Thursday, opened at 136.25 yen, down from the previous day's close of 136.70 yen. The dollar's decline on Friday morning was due partly to a 0.20-yen loss overnight in the United States, according to a foreign exchange dealer at the Bank of Tokyo. ``The dollar-buying drive in the market is still strong, but the rate is not moving that quickly,'' he said on condition of anonymity. ``Until the scheduled report of U.S. unemployment figures later today, there is a wait-and-see mood among investors, which slows down dollar-buying,'' he added.
