The Nikkei stock index hit a fresh intraday record high Thursday morning, lifted by overnight gains on Wall Street after the Federal Reserve continued to signal three interest rate cuts ahead. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average rose 666.92 points, or 1.67 percent, from Tuesday to 40,670.52. The broader Topix index was up 43.28 points, or 1.57 percent, at 2,794.25. Japanese financial markets were closed Wednesday for a national holiday. The U.S. dollar briefly retreated to the lower 150 yen range after hitting a roughly four-month high of 151.82 yen in New York amid wariness that Japanese autho…