By V. Phani Kumar, MarketWatch
HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Asian stocks on Thursday rebounded
from the previous day's sharp losses, with strong earnings from
Australia's Telstra Corp. helping lift Sydney shares, while those
in Tokyo gained ahead of the Bank of Japan's policy decision.
After opening lower, Japan's Nikkei Stock Average climbed 0.6%
in volatile trade, recouping some losses after a 4% plunge on
Wednesday.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.5%, Australia's S&P/ASX
200 advanced 0.4%, South Korea's Kospi added 0.3%, and the Shanghai
Composite inched up 0.1%.
The broad gains came in spite of a third straight day of losses
on Wall Street amid uncertainty over the timing of the Federal
Reserve's widely expected reduction in monthly bond purchases.
"Markets have moved into a 'sell on the rumor, buy on the fact'
mode in the wake of the end of the U.S. [earnings reporting] season
and rising concerns about U.S. Fed's tapering," said Perpetual head
of investment research Matthew Sherwood.
U.S. equity futures also edged higher during Asian stock trade,
with those on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJU3) and the
Standard & Poor's 500 (SPU3) each adding 0.3%.
In Tokyo, bargain buying after Wednesday's steep losses propped
up the market, even as the U.S. dollar (USDJPY) fell further to
slide under the Yen97-level.
Softbank Corp. (9984.TO) rose 1.4%, Fast Retailing Co. (FRCOY)
gained 1.6%, and Fanuc Corp. (FANUY) rose 1.7%. All three stocks
are still down at least 3% this week.
Investors were also looking ahead to the Bank of Japan's policy
announcement later Thursday.
In Sydney, meanwhile, shares of Telstra (TTRAF) rose 1.6% after
the telecommunications major posted a forecast-beating 12% increase
in annual profit.
Shares of mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd. (RIO) tacked on 0.4%
before the release of its own financial results.
Over in Hong Kong, shares of China Resources Land Ltd. (CRBJF)
rose 1.6%, while Cheung Kong Holdings Ltd. (CHEUY) and Bank of
China Ltd. (BACHY) each added 1%.
The performance in Shanghai was mixed as investors awaited
China's monthly trade data.
Automobile maker SAIC Motor Corp. rose 1.6%, and Jiangxi Copper
Co. (JIXAY) climbed 1.8%, while developer Gemdale Corp. shed 1.1%,
and China Minsheng Banking Corp. (CMAKY) lost 0.4%.
In Seoul, KB Financial Group Inc. (KB) rose 1%, and Shinhan
Financial Group Co. (SHG) added 0.6%, after the Bank of Korea left
its policy interest rate unchanged, as widely expected.
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