Asian shares traded higher Tuesday as investors digested the Reserve Bank of Australia's decision to keep cash rates unchanged at 1.5%.
The Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo gained 44.35 points, or 0.3%, to 17,081.98
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index leaped 138.13 points, or 0.6%, to 23,787.68
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) in a statement cited reasons such as continued growth, low inflation and mixed labor market data as contributing factors to hold interest rates steady.
There were also mentions of the prolonged period of low commodity prices keeping Australia's terms of trade lower than they have been in recent years and of the rising housing prices.
In currency markets, the Australian dollar was trading up 0.9% against the U.S. dollar at 0.7646, after the RBA announcement.
The U.S. dollar stood at $95.694 against a basket of currencies, while U.S. dollar/Japanese yen remained at the 103 handle, trading at 103.41 as of late afternoon.
Line shares traded up 1.1%, having risen by more than 3% earlier Tuesday, after the popular Japanese popular messaging app launched a low-priced mobile phone service called Line Mobile on Monday, offering a basic data plan for as little as 500 yen ($4.80 U.S.) per month.
South Korea's government reached the decision to provide Hanjin Shipping with up to 100 billion won ($91 million U.S) of long-term, low-interest funding, media reports said.
The troubled container shipper also announced Tuesday that it would raise 100 billion won on its own to fund the unloading of cargo, 40% of which of which would be raised from its chairman's private funds. Hanjin's shares soared 29.9% on Tuesday.
Hanjin Shipping, also South Korea's largest shipping company, had filed for court receivership last Wednesday after its creditors pulled funding support.
In other markets
The Shanghai CSI 300 gained 22.95 points, or 0.7%, to 3,342.63
The Taiex Index in Taiwan added 91.72 points, or 1%, to 9,181.85
In Korea, the Kospi index moved higher 6.45 points, or 0.3%, to 2,066.53
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index acquired 44.81 points, or 1.6%, to 2,896.55
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 gained 11.51 points, or 0.2%, to 7,503.54
The ASX 200 retreated 15.95 points, or 0.3%, to 5,413.63
