Drug marketing firm reaches new highs

Strong growth: A man wearing a face mask walks past an electronic stock board showing Japan’s Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo. M3 Inc, Japan’s top-performing blue-chip stock, is up 88% this year after rallying 124% in 2019. — AP

TOKYO: Japan’s top-performing blue-chip stock this year, M3 Inc, is poised to climb further in the long run thanks to rising demand for online healthcare services, investors say.

The company’s shares are up 88% in 2020 after rallying 124% last year, helped by its addition to the Nikkei 225 stock average on Oct 1. The stock has surged more than 6,500% since listing in September 2004, at least eight times more than all others currently listed on the blue-chip gauge over that period.