Sensex, Nifty Extend Record Rally; IT Stocks Top Gainers

The Thai stock market has moved higher in two of three trading days since the end of the five-day losing streak in which it had dropped more than 15 points or 1.2 percent. The Stock Exchange of Thailand now sits just above the 1,305-point plateau and it's called higher again on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is broadly positive on optimism that the end of the U.S. government shutdown in near. The European and U.S. markets were sharply higher and the Asian bourses are expected to follow that lead.

The Indonesia stock market on Monday snapped the three-day winning streak in which it had gained almost 160 points or 1.2 percent. The Jakarta Composite Index now sits just above the 8,390-point plateau although it's expected to see renewed support on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is broadly positive on optimism that the end of the U.S. government shutdown in near. The European and U.S. markets were sharply higher and the Asian bourses are expected to follow that lead. The JCI finished slightly lower on Monday as losses from the financials and telecoms were mitigated by support from the resource stocks and a mixed picture from the cement companies. For the day, the index eased 3.35 points or 0.04 percent to finish at the daily low of 8,391.24 after peaking at 8,478.15. Among the actives, Bank CIMB Niaga shed 0.57 percent, while Bank Mandiri fell 0.42 percent, Bank Danamon Indonesia collected 0.40 percent, Bank Negara Indonesia tumbled 1.78 percent, Bank Central Asia skidded 1.15 percent, Bank Rakyat Indonesia slumped 1.26 percent, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison plunged 3.72 percent, Indocement improved 0.78 percent, Semen Indonesia plummeted 4.17 percent, Indofood Sukses Makmur slipped 0.35 percent, United Tractors rallied 1.36 percent, Energi Mega Persada surged 4.60 percent, Astra Agro Lestari dropped 0.96 percent, Aneka Tambang rose 0.34 percent, Vale Indonesia eased 0.22 percent, Timah soared 6.85 percent, Bumi Resources spiked 6.38 percent and Astra International was unchanged. The lead from Wall Street is solid as the major averages opened higher on Monday and largely spent most of the sessions firmly in positive territory.

The Japanese stock market is trading significantly higher on Tuesday, extending the gains in the previous session, following the broadly positive cues from Wall Street overnight. The Nikkei 225 is moving well above the 51,350 level, with gains in index heavyweights, financial and technology and stocks.

The Hong Kong stock market has moved higher in two of three trading days since the end of the two-day slide in which it had dropped more than 220 points or 0.8 percent. The Hang Seng Index now rests just beneath the 26,650-point plateau and it's expected to open to the upside again on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is broadly positive on optimism that the end of the U.S. government shutdown in near. The European and U.S. markets were sharply higher and the Asian bourses are expected to follow that lead.

The China stock market bounced higher again on Monday, one session after halting the two-day winning streak in which it had advanced more than 45 points or 1.1 percent. The Shanghai Composite Index now sits just beneath the 4,020-point plateau The global forecast for the Asian markets is broadly positive on optimism that the end of the U.S. government shutdown in near. The European and U.S. markets were sharply higher and the Asian bourses are expected to follow that lead. The SCI finished modestly higher on Monday following gains from the financial shares, property stocks and resource companies. For the day, the index gained 21.04 points or 0.53 percent to finish at 4,018.60 after trading between 3,990.84 and 4,018.70. The Shenzhen Composite Index added 10.15 points or 0.40 percent to end at 2,529.44. Among the actives, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China advanced 0.87 percent, while Bank of China rose 0.35 percent, Agricultural Bank of China rallied 2.12 percent, China Merchants Bank added 0.49 percent, Bank of Communications collected 0.82 percent, China Life Insurance jumped 1.95 percent, Jiangxi Copper improved 0.95 percent, Aluminum Corp of China (Chalco) soared 3.26 percent, Yankuang Energy vaulted 1.88 percent, PetroChina strengthened 1.65 percent, China Petroleum and Chemical (Sinopec) fell 0.27 percent, Huaneng Power perked 0.24 percent, China Shenhua Energy gained 0.94 percent, Gemdale spiked 2.33 percent, Poly Developments increased 1.25 percent and China Vanke climbed 1.29 percent.

The Taiwan stock market has moved higher in two of three trading days since the end of the two-day losing streak in which it had given up more than 640 points or 2.3 percent. The Taiwan Stock Exchange now sits just beneath the 27,870-point plateau and it's likely to extend its gains on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is broadly positive on optimism that the end of the U.S. government shutdown in near. The European and U.S. markets were sharply higher and the Asian bourses are expected to follow that lead.

Overall bank lending in Japan was up 4.1 percent on year in October, the Bank of Japan said on Tuesday - coming in at 650.798 trillion yen.

Japan posted a seasonally adjusted current account surplus of 4.483 trillion yen in September, the Ministry of Finance said on Tuesday - up 191.6 percent on year.