Asian stocks advanced Thursday, with Japan's Nikkei climbing to a three-week high as Sony Corp. and other export-related shares gained as the yen weakened against the dollar.
In Tokyo, the benchmark Nikkei 225 index added 256.00 points, or 1.49 percent, to finish at 17,419.20 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 173.84 points, or 0.89 percent, to 1,9690.25.
Gainers included Nippon Steel Corp., which climbed 4.46 percent, Mitsubishi Estate Co., which posted a 1.32 percent gain, and Mizuho Financial Group Inc., which rose 1.31 percent.
Elsewhere:
BANGKOK: Thai shares rose 0.8 percent to end at 674.84 in thin trade, on a combination of blue-chip gains and speculative buying in penny shares.
JAKARTA: Indonesian shares rose, boosted by a firmer rupiah and gains across Asian equity markets. The Jakarta Stock Exchange Composite index closed 29.829 points or 1.7 percent higher at 1,809.066.
MANILA: Philippine shares jumped, lifted by overnight gains on Wall Street on expectations the Federal Reserve will start easing monetary policy. The 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange Index surged 87.85 points, or 2.8 percent, to 3,178.32.
MUMBAI: Indian shares ended higher for the fourth consecutive day, with the BSE 30-stock sensitive index regaining the 13,000 level for the first time in nine sessions. The Sensex ended up 2.8 percent, or 362.15 points, at 13,308.03.
SEOUL: South Korean shares rose, led by gains in top refiner SK Corp. and technology stocks. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 5.68 points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,448.53.
SHANGHAI: China shares advanced, hitting a record close for the second day in a row on strength in blue chips but the upside was trimmed by profit-taking in a few heavyweights. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index added 0.5 percent to 3,071.23. The Shenzhen Composite Index nudged up 0.4 percent to 808.56.
SINGAPORE: Singapore's shares closed higher for a fourth straight session after overnight news the U.S. Federal Reserve held interest rates steady. The benchmark Straits Times Index rose 63.82 points, or 2 percent, to close at 3,219.51 points.
TAIPEI: Taiwan shares gained on as market sentiment was boosted by strong U.S. stocks overnight. The Weighted Price Index of the Taiwan Stock Exchange rose 66.64 points, or 0.9 percent, to close at 7,823.67 points.
WELLINGTON: New Zealand stocks advanced on the lead of stronger U.S. stock markets after a less hawkish speech from the U.S. Federal Reserve, but brokers noted recent volatility in global markets has not been tamed yet. The benchmark NZX-50 index was up 24 points, or 0.6 percent, at 4,076.03.
SYDNEY: Australian stocks rose 1.6 percent to a three-week high following a strong lead from Wall Street. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index rose 93.8 points to 5,955.7.
With files from wire services
