Asian markets rise, Hong Kong ahead after holiday

HONG KONG (AFP) – Asian markets rose on Thursday, with  dealers looking ahead to an upcoming G20 meeting, while Hong Kong enjoyed  healthy gains as dealers returned from a long break.

Tokyo shares climbed as the yen retreated again after posting strong gains  on Wednesday, while there was little reaction to news Japan was stuck in  recession as its economy shrunk for a third straight quarter in  October-December.

Hong Kong, which was closed from Monday to Wednesday for Chinese New Year,  added 0.85 per cent, or 198.09 points, to end at 23,413.25 as investors caught  up with a regional advance over the same period.

Tokyo was up 0.50 per cent, or 55.87 points, higher at 11,307.28, while  Sydney gained 0.66 per cent, or 33.2 points, to 5,036.9, its highest since  September 2008.

Seoul was up 0.18 per cent, or 3.54 points, to close at 1,979.61.

Shanghai and Taipei are closed for public holidays.

Eyes are now on Moscow, where the world’s 20 major economies will meet on  Friday with concerns emerging of a possible global war in which nations weaken  their currencies in order to boost exports.

“It will be one of the most important (G20 meetings) for quite some time in  terms of markets,” said Sean Callow, senior currency strategist at Westpac  Institutional Bank in Sydney.

“The risk for currencies is whether there are strong comments from some of  the many officials, with their different viewpoints,” he told Dow Jones  Newswires.

Talk has centred on Japan’s recent drive to pump more cash into the markets  to kick-start the economy and inflation, which has in turn sent the yen  tumbling.

A statement from the Group of Seven (G7) top industrialised nations this  week was said to have put a shot across Tokyo’s bows, saying it supported  market-driven moves in forex markets, sending the yen higher on Wednesday.

However, the unit on Thursday resumed its downward trend that began in  November as dealers bet on aggressive monetary easing by the Bank of Japan.

In the afternoon the dollar bought 93.67 yen, compared with 93.46 yen in  New York late on Wednesday, while the euro fetched 125.88 yen, from 125.70 yen.

That compared with 92.85 yen to the dollar and 124.85 yen to the euro in  Asia earlier Wednesday.

The euro also sat at $1.3440 against $1.3450.

Tokyo released data showing the economy contracted 0.1 per cent in  October-December from the previous quarter, and expanded just 1.9 per cent in  2012 from the previous year, when Japan was hit by the quake-tsunami disaster.

The BoJ later wrapped up a two-day policy meeting, holding off announcing  any new announcements after last month adopting a two per cent inflation target  and unveiling fresh easing measures.

However, it gave an upbeat assessment of the economy, saying it appeared to  have stopped weakening, adding: “Exports continue to decrease, but the pace of  decrease has been moderating”.

There were also signs of a pick-up in overseas markets. “Japan’s economy is  expected to level off more or less for the time being, and thereafter, it will  return to a moderate recovery path,” it said.

Oil prices rose, with New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for  delivery in March up 12 cents to $97.13 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for  April gaining 10 cents to $117.98.

Gold was at $1,645.10 by 0810 GMT, compared with $1,647.77 late Wednesday.