7:45AM Asian markets broadly advanced. Australian shares hit a new high.
Asian-Pacific benchmarks finished mostly in the positive at the start of a week, heavily loaded with economic data. The Nikkei climbed 0.5% to 16,650.10, supported by property developers and consumer-related stocks, including Mitsubishi Estate, Sumitomo Realty, and Toyota Motor. Australia All Ordinaries hit a new high, rising 1% to 5,088.1, reflecting merger activity and strength among resource stocks like BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto. Among other regional markets, South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.7% on tech stocks, led by Samsung Electronics, Taiwan Weighted index rose 0.7%, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.6%