Most Asian markets rose Monday as optimism about the U.S. economy and rising energy shares underpinned broad regional gains, with Japanese shares climbing for a fifth straight trading day on the back of banks and industrial robot maker Fanuc Corp.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 Index gained 12.16 points, or 0.1%, to end Monday at 10,142, its highest finish since the March 11, 2011 earthquake and nuclear disasters.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index collapsed 202.56 points, or 1%, to 21,115.30
The day’s broad gains came even although U.S. shares broadly finished lower Friday following a soft consumer sentiment reading, as analysts remained upbeat about the country’s growth prospects.
In Tokyo, such optimism helped lift shares of Fanuc Corp. 2%, while machinery maker Komatsu Ltd. gained 2.9%.
Commodity trading house Marubeni Corp. climbed 2.4% after the Nikkei newspaper reported Monday it planned to buy a 50% stake in a U.K. wind power engineering firm.
Banks also advanced, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. rising 1.4% and Mizuho Financial Group Inc adding 2.1%.
The gains came after Moody’s Investors Service said earlier in the day that the Bank of Japan’s plan to provide dollar funding to high-growth enterprises was positive for lenders’ creditworthiness.
Energy sector stocks gained as Nymex crude-oil prices stayed above the $107 U.S. a barrel level for most of the Asian stock trading day.
JX Holdings Inc. added 1.5% and Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. rose 0.4% in Tokyo. Cnooc Ltd. climbed 0.1%, though it ended well off its lows in a downbeat Hong Kong market, while Santos Ltd. added 0.5% in Sydney.
In Hong Kong, shares of China Molybdenum Co. gained 4.4% after the minerals producer announced plans to launch an initial public offering in Shanghai.
Aluminum Corp. of China Ltd. tumbled 4.2% in Hong Kong after reporting a steep fall in its 2011 profits.
Property firms on mainland bourses were pressured after government data released Sunday showed the average property prices fell in February for a fifth straight month.
Shares in Poly Real Estate Group Co. fell 0.8%, Gemdale Corp. eased 0.5% and China Vanke Co. lost 0.6%.
In other markets;
The Shanghai CSI 300 inched forward 6.49 points, or 0.3%, to 2,620.01
Korea’s Kospi Index added 12.56 points, or 0.6%, to 2,047
The Taiex index in Taiwan shed 11.02 points, or 0.1%, to 8,043.92
Singapore’s Straits Times Index doffed 20.59 points, or 0.7%, to 2,990.09
New Zealand’s NZX 50 Index dipped 19.05 points, or 0.5%, to 3,485.97
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index regained 14.64 points, or 0.3%, to 4,290.80
