Most of the Asian equity indices are trading higher in the early deals on Tuesday on the back of China's economy underlying sentiment even though it presented a mixed picture. On the regional front, the Japanese stock market opened on a positive note, with a stronger greenback as well as the overnight gains on Wall Street aiding investor sentiment. In the economy news, total labor cash earnings in Japan increased at a faster rate in April. Total earnings rose 0.9 percent year-over-year in April following a 0.7 percent increase in March. This is the second consecutive month of rise after a decline in February. Among other markets in the Asia-Pacific region, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan are trading modestly higher, while, South Korea is trading up marginally. Singapore is down marginally.
Shanghai Composite increased 4.76 points or 0.23% to 2,043.98, Hang Seng gained 162.12 points or 0.70% to 23,243.77, Jakarta Composite strengthened by 23.06 points or 0.47% to 4,935.15, KLSE Composite rose 5.02 points or 0.27% to 1,869.27, Nikkei 225 soared 132.65 points or 0.89% to 15,068.57, Seoul Composite climbed by 0.14 points or 0.01% to 2,002.14 and Taiwan Weighted was up by 33.77 points or 0.37% to 9,109.68.
On the flip side, Straits Times was down by 5.47 points or 0.17% to 3,296.77.