Nikkei: 10,274.50 (+36.58) Hang Seng: 23,482.95 (+35.61) Shanghai Comp: 2,799.40 (+8.70)ASIAN STOCKS rose for the first time in three days yesterday, as earnings improved, oil and metal prices boosted commodity companies and US consumer spending climbed.
Honda Motor, Japan’s third-largest carmaker by sales, gained 2 per cent after increasing its profit forecast. Hitachi, maker of products from home appliances to nuclear reactors, climbed 3.4 per cent in Tokyo after the Nikkei newspaper said the company may report record earnings.
BHP Billiton, the world’s top mining company and Australia’s biggest oil producer, gained 0.8 per cent in Sydney.
Cnooc, China’s offshore energy producer, rose 2.7 per cent to HK$17.66 in Hong Kong.
PetroChina, the nation’s biggest oil producer, increased 2.6 per cent to HK$11.10.
Daito Trust Construction, which operates building construction and real-estate businesses, surged 17 per cent to ¥6,750 in Tokyo, the biggest increase on the MSCI Asia Pacific Index.
China Gas Holdings, an energy supplier to mainland homes and businesses, plunged 15 per cent to HK$2.89 in Hong Kong. – (Bloomberg)
