Major indexes in Asia closed higher on Tuesday after U.S. stocks closed at record levels and oil prices traded at their highest marks since 2015 overnight.
Amid that backdrop, investors also watched for headlines as President Donald Trump's tour of Asia continued, with the president arriving in South Korea on Tuesday following his two-day visit to Japan.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 vaulted 389.25 points, or 1.7%, to 22,937.60, its highest close in 26 years.
The Hang Seng Index spiked 397.54 points, or 1.4%, to 28,994.34
Energy-related stocks rose in Japan, following the surge in oil prices in the last session: Inpex closed up 3.7% and Japan Petroleum Exploration rose 6%. Brokerages and tech names also recorded gains.
The U.S. dollar also strengthened against the Japanese yen, last trading at 114.12, against Monday's close of 113.71.
In Korea, petroleum refiner SK Innovation closed up 0.9% and Shinsegae jumped 8.4%. Tech names were mixed, with blue chip SK Hynix falling 1.3% and Samsung Electronics closing down 0.5%.
Australian markets crossed the 6,000 mark for the first time since 2008. The energy sub-index climbed 2.7% to lead gains on the broader index: Santos closed up 3.7% and Beach Energy tacked on 6.4%.
Resource plays also climbed on the back of gains in iron ore and base metals in the last session. Rio Tinto ended the session 2.1% higher, Fortescue Metals gained 4.8% and Gindalbie Metals soared 8.3% on the day.
The Reserve Bank of Australia on Tuesday kept interest rates steady. In his statement, RBA Governor Philip Lowe cautioned that inflation remained low, but also noted that the bank expected the metric to "pick up gradually as the economy strengthen[ed]."
The Australian dollar traded at $0.7673 U.S., a touch softer on the day, although the currency had touched a high of $0.7700 following the news from the central bank.
As with the rest of the region, oil stocks in greater China markets also recorded gains: shares of CNOOC and Sinopec traded in Hong Kong rose 1.5% and 3.7%
CHINA
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 hiked 33.36 points, or 0.8%, to 4,054.25
China Evergrande Group will raise 60 billion yuan ($9.04 billion U.S.) from selling shares in subsidiary Hengda Real Estate before a planned backdoor listing of the unit on the Shenzhen Exchange. Evergrande shares jumped 10.6%
Chinese cybersecurity company Qihoo 360 Technology said Monday that "national interest" was one factor for its decision to delist in the U.S. and move to China. Qihoo 360 CEO Zhou Hongyi told the media that cybersecurity companies that were "big enough" had to be "aligned with national interests.”
In other markets
In Korea, the Kospi index fell 3.97 points, or 0.2%, to 2,545.44
In Taiwan, the Taiex Index jumped 54.15 points, or 0.5%, to 10,840.34
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index gained 31.25 points, or 0.9%, to 3,413.10
In Australia, the ASX 200 picked up 60.56 points, or 1%, to 6,014.34
New Zealand Markets were shuttered for holiday
