A Japanese trade surge just sent the Nikkei smashing through a 15-year high

Japan's Nikkei just broke to a 15-year high, eclipsing the levels seen just before the financial crisis.

The major index of stocks is now at its strongest since the dot-com bubble. Today it closed at 18,264.79, in comparison to above 20,000 in 2000.

Today's bump (+0.36%) was down to a surge in Japanese exports in January, which came in much stronger than experts had predicted. Exports jumped 17%, the fifth month of growing strength for the country's trading firms, which are benefiting from a weaker yen this year.

The Japanese stock index soared Since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's election victory in December 2012, not much more than two years ago, Japanese stocks have exploded in value, up by more than 85%.