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Optimistic Asia closes higher
(CNN) -- Asian markets closed broadly higher Monday as optimistic investors bought exporters after an encouraging U.S. jobs report. Singapore performed best, up 2.9 percent to 16-month highs. Japanese carmakers Toyota and Honda, along with consumer electronics makers Sony and Canon, finished well ahead. South Korean makers Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor likewise posted solid gains. Companies like these get a large part of their sales revenue from the United States. The Nikkei 225 average ended up 0.29 percent to 10,740.14, after going above 10, 900 earlier in the day. That came after it gained 1.1 percent on Friday. The broader Topix index was up 0.19 percent to 1068.84, easing from an intraday high of 1084. Elsewhere in the region, Singapore's Straits Times index ended 2.85 percent ahead at 1717.89. That is its highest reading since May 2002. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index closed up 1.08 percent to 11,734.48. In Taiwan, the Taiex posted a strong gain of 1.8 percent to 5851.20. South Korea's Kospi index finished up 1.1 percent to 723.13 and Australia's S&P/ASX200 put on 0.43 percent to 3217.2. New Zealand's Top 50 closed 0.39 percent ahead. In Tokyo, there were solid gains among tech-related stocks, with NEC, Toshiba and Sanyo Electric all finishing more than 2 percent higher. Big banks also continued to gain, led by a 3.2 percent rise to 544,000 yen for UFJ Holdings. Recent positive economic data such as last week's Bank of Japan tankan result are lifting earnings prospects for the banks. MTFG was up 3 percent to 838,000 yen and SMFG put on 1.7 percent. Mobile phone company NTT DoCoMo, the market's biggest stock, rose 1 percent to 284,000 yen. Rivals KDDI and Japan Telecom posted gains of 2 percent. But videogame company Nintendo ended down 2.8 percent to 8920 yen after an earnings warning on Friday. (Full story) Among carmakers, Honda did best with a gain of 2.9 percent to 4610 yen. Toyota was up 2.3 percent to 3480 yen. Consumer electronics leader Sony finished 1.76 percent ahead to 4050 yen and Canon was 2.2 percent higher to 5590 yen. Most of Japan's big exporters got a lift from a 2.4 percent rise in the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index on Wall Street Friday. The Dow Jones industrial average put on 0.9 percent to 9572.31. (Full story) The dollar is firmer late in the Asian day, at 111.03 yen. On Friday it sank as low as 110.21 yen, close to last month's three-year low of 110.10. In Seoul, the Kospi got a boost from a 3 percent gain to 421,000 won for the market's biggest stock, Samsung Electronics. Hyundai Motor was up 1.3 percent to 35,000 won. Korea's big business groups, including SK, Hyundai and Samsung, were fined Monday over unfair trading activities. ( Full story) Australia's market heavyweight, media group News Corp, ended 3 percent ahead to A$12.34. Resources group BHP Billiton was also firmer, up 2.8 percent to A$10.95. But Telstra was down 0.4 percent to A$4.97, losing some of the ground gained last Friday after it announced details of its share buyback. (Full story) In Singapore, bank DBS was up 2.94 percent while Singapore Press jumped 6.4 percent to S$19.90. The biggest-listed property firm CapitaLand soared 9.8 percent to S$1.68. In Taiwan, the market's biggest stock, TSMC, ended 1.4 percent higher to T$71.00. UMC was up 3 percent to T$30.40 and leading bank Chinatrust surged 4.7 percent to T$31.10. Hong Kong blue chips posted moderate gains, with HSBC up 0.9 percent to HK$107.00 and conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa 1.7 percent ahead to HK$59.50.
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