Most of the Asian equity benchmarks are trading in green terrain in early deals on Tuesday, tracking positive cues overnight from the US and European markets as telecommunication and health-care companies led gains. The investors chose to tread cautiously at higher levels tracking regional earnings news. The Japanese stock market is trading positive with investors indulging in some hectic buying across the board. Japan's corporate service prices index was up 0.8 percent on year in January at 96.3. That was shy of forecasts for an increase of 1.2 percent following the downwardly revised gain of 1.1 percent in December. On a monthly basis, corporate service prices dropped 0.6 percent after adding 0.2 percent in December. Among other markets in the Asia-Pacific region, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Shanghai and Taiwan are trading higher. Indonesia and Malaysia are trading weak.
Shanghai Composite added 1.98 points or 0.10% to 2,078.67, Hang Seng gained by 110.42 points or 0.49% to 22,498.98, Nikkei 225 soared 213.63 points or 1.44% to 15,051.31, Straits Times spurted 2.83 points or 0.09% to 3,108.67, Seoul Composite rose 13.25 points or 0.68% to 1,962.30 and Taiwan Weighted was up by 16.69 points or 0.19% to 8,577.30.
On the flip side, Jakarta Composite declined 24.84 points or 0.54% to 4,598.73 and KLSE Composite was down by 0.16 points or 0.01% to 1,828.52.