Asian markets finished mainly higher Wednesday, with resource shares among the bigger advancers in Hong Kong and strength in financials lifting stocks in Japan.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 gained 10.51 points, or 0.1%, to 11,292.83
Hong Kong markets emerged from a long weekend by rocketing ahead 391.77 points, or 1.8%, to 21,928.77.
The Tokyo market was led mainly higher by banks and insurers on the overnight rise in their U.S. counterparts. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group finished up 2.7%, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group rose 4.2% and MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings ended 4.1% higher.
Resource shares and financial stocks ended mostly higher in Hong Kong, with Cnooc Ltd. up 6.4% and Aluminum Corp. of China adding 4.1%. Bank of China Ltd. rose 3.1% and China Construction Bank Corp. tacked on 4.2%.
The Australian stock market enjoyed gains across nearly all sectors.
Macarthur Coal Ltd. rejected a sweetened 3.56-billion-Australian-dollar ($3.3 billion U.S.) takeover offer from Peabody Energy Corp. It said it will instead press on with a planned takeover of Gloucester Coal Ltd. and associated transactions with Noble Group Ltd.
Shares of Gloucester Coal jumped nearly 26%. Macarthur shares fell 5.2% to A$14.31 but were still well above the A$12 levels of before the first A$13-a-share approach.
Westpac Office Trust units finished 6.5% higher after it and Mirvac Group said they are in discussions on the possible acquisition of Westpac Office by Mirvac. Mirvac shares were on a trading halt as it announced its capital raising plans.
The Seoul stock market was caught between profit-taking in technology and auto stocks, and gains in energy stocks.
Samsung Electronics Co. closed down 1.2%, Hynix Semiconductor Inc. fell 3.5% and Hyundai Motor Co. shed 0.8% while SK Energy Co. added 3.8%.
Taiwan's HTC Corp. closed up 5.5% after the smartphone maker reported late Tuesday that first-quarter net income grew 3.1% from the year earlier to 5.03 billion New Taiwanese dollars ($158.7 million U.S.). Sales were better than expected as consumer demand began to improve last year with the global economic recovery.
Taiwan's Taiex gained 0.4% and New Zealand and Philippine shares closed 0.5% higher.
In foreign-exchange markets, the euro was lower against the dollar on lingering concerns over Greece's fiscal troubles.
The single currency was at $1.3388 U.S. against $1.3406 U.S. in late New York trade Tuesday and at 125.75 yen, compared with 125.63 yen. The dollar was at 93.92 yen versus 93.71 yen.
Japanese government-bond futures fell partly because local banks shifted their assets from JGBs to debt issued by local governments. The lead June JGB futures contract was down 0.14 at 138.09 points while the 10-year cash JGB was up 0.5 basis points at 1.40%.
The Bank of Japan's policy board voted unanimously at the end of its two-day meeting to leave the unsecured overnight call loan rate unchanged at 0.1% -- the same level it has been at since December 2008 -- in a widely expected decision.
CHINA
China's real estate developers fell on fears of possible further monetary tightening from the government.
Shanghai’s CSI 300 Index came in lower by 18.20 points, or 0.5%, to 3,386.95.
Poly Real Estate Group Co. fell 2.5% and Gemdale Corp. lost 1.9% in Shanghai.
Elsewhere;
Korea’s Kospi index advanced 0.51 points to 1,726.60
Singapore’s Straits Times Index moved up 12.59 points, or 0.4%, to 2,988.10
Taiwan’s Taiex index picked up 32.13 points or 0.4% to 8,121.78
New Zealand’s NZX 50 Index tacked on 16.17 points, or 0.5%, to 3,325.08
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 7.20 points, or 0.2%, to 4,960.70.
