Asian equities rise on weak US economic data

HONG KONG: Asian markets rose on Tuesday as unexpectedly weak data out of the United States increased the likelihood that the Federal Reserve would keep its stimulus program in place for some time.

The upbeat outlook helped Japanese stocks post healthy gains despite the dollar dipping against the yen. Tokyo rose 0.98 percent, Hong Kong added 1.77 percent, Sydney gained 0.34 percent, Shanghai was up 0.24 percent and Seoul climbed 0.83 percent.