Most of the Asian equity benchmarks are trading up in the early deals on Thursday on hopes for a deal to keep Greece in the Euro zone as the country prepares for a crucial weekend referendum, but Shanghai tumbled again despite authorities relaxing trading rules to temper recent volatility. The Japanese market rose more than 1 per cent, led by automakers which reported strong June sales in the US market, and broadly supported by a weaker yen. Among other Asian markets, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan are also in positive territory. Meanwhile, Shanghai is marginally lower.
Nikkei 225 jumped 223.46 points or 1.10 % to 20,552.78, Hang Seng surged 147.06 points or 0.56 % to 26,397.09, FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI rose 7.53 points or 0.44 % to 1,735.49, KOSPI Index increased 9.65 points or 0.46 % to 2,107.54, Straits Times gained 0.71 points or 0.02 % to 3,331.85, Jakarta Composite added 38.31 points or 0.78 % to 4,942.37 and Taiwan Weighted was up by 9.51 points or 0.10 % to 9,384.74.
On the flip side, Shanghai Composite was down by 50.16 points or 1.24 % to 4,003.54.