Most of the Asian equity benchmarks are trading up in the early deals on Tuesday, led by technology stocks after the Nasdaq hit a record closing high overnight. Easing worries about North Korea also boosted investor sentiment. US President Donald Trump said that if the circumstances were right, he would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Meanwhile, Japan's Nikkei share average rose to six-week highs in a holiday-shortened week, getting a lift from robust earnings and gains on Wall Street. Among the other Asian markets, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia are all higher, bucking the trend, Shanghai is marginally lower.
Nikkei 225 added 132.26 points or 0.68% to 19,442.78, Hang Seng gained 65.34 points or 0.27% to 24,680.47, Taiwan Weighted increased 64.76 points or 0.66% to 9,936.76, KOSPI Index rose 18.43 points or 0.84% to 2,223.87, Jakarta Composite strengthen 14.71 points or 0.26% to 5,700.01, FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI spurt 7.9 points or 0.45% to 1,775.96, and Straits Times was up by 26.41 points or 0.83% to 3,201.85.
On the flip side, Shanghai Composite was down by 7.65 points or 0.24% to 3,147.01.