TOKYO (Reuters) -Nippon Steel ( NISTF ) shares rallied at the start of Monday trade in Tokyo after U.S. President Donald Trump expressed support for the company's $14.9 billion bid for U.S. Steel.

Shares of Nippon, the world's fourth-largest steelmaker, gained 5% to 3,025 yen early morning in Tokyo after being untraded with a glut of buy orders earlier in the day. Nippon shares were the biggest percentage gainer on Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 index.

On Friday, shares of U.S. Steel soared 21% as investors interpreted Trump's post on Truth Social to mean Nippon Steel ( NISTF ) had received his approval for its long-planned takeover, the last major hurdle for the deal.

(Reporting by Mariko Katsumura; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)