Asian markets mostly ended higher Tuesday, with shares in India rallying on software firms such as Satyam Computer Services after the finance minister proposed an extension to a tax-holiday that was to expire next year, while banks and real estate firms rallied after the central bank left a lending rate unchanged.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index rose 247.86 points, or 0.97 percent, to 25,914.15, while on the Chinese mainland, the Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.4 percent to 3,523.41 points.
Japanese markets were closed for a holiday.
Shares of Bank of China climbed 2.4% in Shanghai trading, a day after the lender announced a better-than-expected 85% year-on-year jump in first quarter net income. Shares of other banks also advanced, with Industrial & Commercial Bank of China gaining 1.4% and Bank of Communications Co. adding 0.8% before their quarterly earnings were announced.
ICBC reported a 77% rise in first-quarter net income from a year-ago at the end of the day's trading, helped by a lower tax rate, fee and commission income growth across its businesses.
Bank of Communications said its first-quarter net profit more than doubled to 7.89 billion yuan ($1.13 billion) from 3.80 billion yuan in the year-ago period, also at the end of trading the day's trading.
Elsewhere:
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index finished 0.1% higher at 5,606.90, after dropping as low as 5,575.70 during the day.
South Korea's Kospi, which wavered between positive and negative territories earlier in the day, fell 0.6% to 1,811.51.
Taiwan's Weighted index dropped 2.1% to 8,891.74.
New Zealand's NZX 50 index lost 1.1% to 3,601.36. Earlier in the day, New Zealand unexpectedly posted a trade deficit of NZ$50 million ($39 million) in March on higher crude oil imports and a decline in exports of aircraft and parts, triggering a slide in the local currency
with files from other wire services
