Australia shares jump after less-than-expected rate hike; Asian markets are rising
Pedestrians wearing face masks walk past a monitor showing the Nikkei 225 index on February 25 in Tokyo, Japan.
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Asia-Pacific shares traded higher on Tuesday after shares on Wall Street rose overnight.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 2.79% in early trade, and the Topix index was 2.99% higher. South Korea̵[ads1]7;s Kospi rose 2.44% on its return to trading after a holiday. Kosdaq increased by 2.86 percent.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 1.58%. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 rose 3.63%. The Reserve Bank of Australia raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points.
Markets in mainland China and Hong Kong are closed for a public holiday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 765.38 points, or nearly 2.7%, to close at 29,490.89. The S&P 500 rose about 2.6% to 3,678.43. The Nasdaq Composite added nearly 2.3% to end at 10,815.43.
It was the best day since June 24 for the Dow, and the S&P 500’s best since July 27.
— CNBC’s Tanaya Macheel and Samantha Subin contributed to this report.
