Stocks in Asia-Pacific were higher on Thursday as investors continued to wait for the result of the U.S. election.
The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo leaped 410.05 points, or 1.7%, to 24,105.28.
The Japanese yen traded at 104.34 per U.S. dollar after strengthening yesterday from levels above 104.8 against the greenback
Tech shares led much of the charge. In Japan, shares of conglomerate Softbank Group soared 5.1%. Kakao Games shares in South Korea also popped 4.2%.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index ballooned 809.78 points, or 3.3%, to 25,695.52.
In Hong Kong, shares of Alibaba listed in the city were up 6.3% on the day. The stock’s gain came after a 7% tumble on Wednesday when the anticipated initial public offering of its affiliate Ant Group was suspended due to regulatory concerns.
Chinese tech behemoth Tencent also saw its shares in Hong Kong gain 6.2%.
Australia’s exports of goods and services in September rose 4% month-on-month on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to data released Thursday by the country’s Bureau of Statistics.
The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7197 following yesterday’s rise from levels below $0.712.
Investor focus remained on the U.S. election, though a call in the presidential race is not expected soon as several states could take until later this week to complete official tallies, according to officials.
In other markets
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 leaped 71.45 points, or 1.5%, to 4,885.11.
In Korea, the Kospi index gained 56.47 points, or 2.4%, to 2,413.79.
In Taiwan, the Taiex Index grew 50.9 points, or 0.4%, to 12,918.80.
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index gained 72.64 points, or 2.9%, to 2,588.62
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 jumped 50.05 points, or 0.4%, to 12,249.98
In Australia, the ASX 200 hiked 77.49 points, or 1.3%, to 6,139.61.
