Asia-Pacific markets rose on Tuesday, tracking gains on Wall Street, which ticked up after U.S. retail sales data appeared to ease recession concerns.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index spiked 448.9 points, or 1.2%, to 37,945.42.
Investors will be keeping a close watch on Japanese markets, as the Bank of Japan kicks off its two-day monetary policy meeting on Tuesday.
The central bank is widely expected to hold interest rates steady at 0.5% when the meeting concludes on Wednesday.
The BOJ’s two-day meeting coincides with the U.S. Federal Reserve, with the latter also expected to keep interest rates unchanged.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index ballooned 595 points, or 2.5%, to 24,740.57, on the back of strong moves in tech giants like Baidu, which was up 12.1%
In other markets
The CSI 300 in mainland China regained 10.93 points, or 0.3% to 4,007.72.
In Taiwan, the Taiex index jumped 153.04 points, or 0.7%, to 22,271.67.
In Singapore, the Straits Times index forged ahead 10.93 points, or 0.3%, to 3,894.97
In Korea, the Kospi edged 1.65 points, or 0.1%, to 2,612.34
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 fell 89.29 points, or 0.7%, to 12,076.85.
In Australia, the ASX 200 poked 6.36 points, or 0.1%, to 7,860.42.
