Japan and South Korea are leading the gains in Asian trade Monday.
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(CNN) --Asian markets are sharply higher at midday Monday as investors react to the capture of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Japan is leading the way, with the Nikkei 225 average up 2.7 percent at the end of the morning session. Big banks are surging, with UFJ, Mizuho and SMFG all posting gains of more than 6 percent.
Tech-related stocks such as Toshiba and NEC are also doing well, while automakers Toyota and Nissan are firmly in the black.
Consumer electronics leader Sony is 2 percent higher to 3650 yen.
The broader Topix index also gained 1.9 percent to 1017.62.
South Korea and Singapore are also moving higher, with the Kospi up 1.3 percent to 816.73 and the Straits Times index 1.1 percent higher to 1746.90.
Hyundai Motor and Samsung Electronics are among the top gainers in Seoul.
Stocks in Australia and New Zealand, the first in the world to trade Monday, are also up strongly, with media heavyweight News Corp. 2.4 percent higher and resources giant BHP Billiton up 2 percent.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 in Australia is ahead 0.76 percent in afternoon trade, while the New Zealand Top 50 is 0.78 percent higher near the close.
Taiwan is relatively subdued, with the Taiex 0.37 percent ahead to 5879.75
The dollar is trading at 108.01 yen in Tokyo, after touching 108.27 yen earlier Monday. It hit a three-year low against the Japanese currency of 106.82 on December 9.
Against the euro, the dollar is up to $1.2193 in Tokyo. The U.S. currency hit a record low of $1.2306 per euro on Friday, and is down 14 percent this year.
Analysts expect the price of gold and oil initially will ease. Gold is trading at $404.27 an ounce Monday after going as high as $412.10 late last week.
That is leading to falls among Australian gold mining shares. Newcrest is down more than 3 percent and AngloGold is off 2.7 percent to A$12.20.
U.S. crude, which rose above $33 a barrel on Friday, is expected to ease by at least $0.50 a barrel.
On the equities front, investors in Japan are also drawing hope from a big improvement in business confidence, as revealed in last Friday's Bank of Japan tankan survey.
The market's biggest stock, mobile phone operator NTT DoCoMo, is 1.75 percent ahead to 232,000 yen and Vodafone Holdings (the former Japan Telecom) is 2.6 percent higher to 276,000 yen.
European and U.S. stocks are expected to follow suit later Monday. On Wall Street Friday, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 1.82 percent to 10,042.16, its highest closing level since May 24, 2002.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq finished the week up 0.57 percent at 1949.00, below the 2000 level it broke through briefly the previous week.
According to Reuters news agency, a spike in stocks would carry the blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average to new year highs, holding it above the psychologically key 10,000 mark.
"There will be some early applause from Wall Street, but it will be subdued because there is a long road ahead," Hugh Johnson, chief investment officer at First Albany Corp, told Reuters.
"It does not signal the end of terrorist attacks both around the world and in the United States."
Stocks have risen sharply since the start of U.S. military operations in Iraq in March, propelled by signs of a reviving economy and higher corporate profits.
The Dow is up 20 percent for the year, the S&P 500 is up 22 percent, and the Nasdaq is up 46 percent. Investors in the United States will focus on Tuesday's Consumer Price Index for the latest read on inflation.
"Initially, there's little doubt that it's a boost for the market," Milton Ezrati, senior economic strategist at fund manager Lord Abbett & Co, told Reuters.
"A major uncertainty has been removed, and it also gives hope that this situation, on a fundamental basis, will improve.
"In the end, the market is going to look at the financial situation, and that will depend on the United States' ability to transfer power and withdraw and relieve the financial strain of this whole exercise."
But there are still global security concerns, as shown Sunday when Pakistan's military President Pervez Musharraf narrowly escaped an assassination attempt after a bomb tore up a section of road seconds after his convoy had passed by, officials said.
(CNN) --Asian markets are sharply higher at midday Monday as investors react to the capture of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Japan is leading the way, with the Nikkei 225 average up 2.7 percent at the end of the morning session. Big banks are surging, with UFJ, Mizuho and SMFG all posting gains of more than 6 percent.
Tech-related stocks such as Toshiba and NEC are also doing well, while automakers Toyota and Nissan are firmly in the black.
Consumer electronics leader Sony is 2 percent higher to 3650 yen.
The broader Topix index also gained 1.9 percent to 1017.62.
South Korea and Singapore are also moving higher, with the Kospi up 1.3 percent to 816.73 and the Straits Times index 1.1 percent higher to 1746.90.
Hyundai Motor and Samsung Electronics are among the top gainers in Seoul.
Stocks in Australia and New Zealand, the first in the world to trade Monday, are also up strongly, with media heavyweight News Corp. 2.4 percent higher and resources giant BHP Billiton up 2 percent.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 in Australia is ahead 0.76 percent in afternoon trade, while the New Zealand Top 50 is 0.78 percent higher near the close.
Taiwan is relatively subdued, with the Taiex 0.37 percent ahead to 5879.75
The dollar is trading at 108.01 yen in Tokyo, after touching 108.27 yen earlier Monday. It hit a three-year low against the Japanese currency of 106.82 on December 9.
Against the euro, the dollar is up to $1.2193 in Tokyo. The U.S. currency hit a record low of $1.2306 per euro on Friday, and is down 14 percent this year.
Analysts expect the price of gold and oil initially will ease. Gold is trading at $404.27 an ounce Monday after going as high as $412.10 late last week.
That is leading to falls among Australian gold mining shares. Newcrest is down more than 3 percent and AngloGold is off 2.7 percent to A$12.20.
U.S. crude, which rose above $33 a barrel on Friday, is expected to ease by at least $0.50 a barrel.
On the equities front, investors in Japan are also drawing hope from a big improvement in business confidence, as revealed in last Friday's Bank of Japan tankan survey.
The market's biggest stock, mobile phone operator NTT DoCoMo, is 1.75 percent ahead to 232,000 yen and Vodafone Holdings (the former Japan Telecom) is 2.6 percent higher to 276,000 yen.
European and U.S. stocks are expected to follow suit later Monday. On Wall Street Friday, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 1.82 percent to 10,042.16, its highest closing level since May 24, 2002.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq finished the week up 0.57 percent at 1949.00, below the 2000 level it broke through briefly the previous week.
According to Reuters news agency, a spike in stocks would carry the blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average to new year highs, holding it above the psychologically key 10,000 mark.
"There will be some early applause from Wall Street, but it will be subdued because there is a long road ahead," Hugh Johnson, chief investment officer at First Albany Corp, told Reuters.
"It does not signal the end of terrorist attacks both around the world and in the United States."
Stocks have risen sharply since the start of U.S. military operations in Iraq in March, propelled by signs of a reviving economy and higher corporate profits.
The Dow is up 20 percent for the year, the S&P 500 is up 22 percent, and the Nasdaq is up 46 percent. Investors in the United States will focus on Tuesday's Consumer Price Index for the latest read on inflation.
"Initially, there's little doubt that it's a boost for the market," Milton Ezrati, senior economic strategist at fund manager Lord Abbett & Co, told Reuters.
"A major uncertainty has been removed, and it also gives hope that this situation, on a fundamental basis, will improve.
"In the end, the market is going to look at the financial situation, and that will depend on the United States' ability to transfer power and withdraw and relieve the financial strain of this whole exercise."
But there are still global security concerns, as shown Sunday when Pakistan's military President Pervez Musharraf narrowly escaped an assassination attempt after a bomb tore up a section of road seconds after his convoy had passed by, officials said.
(CNN) --Asian markets are sharply higher at midday Monday as investors react to the capture of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Japan is leading the way, with the Nikkei 225 average up 2.7 percent at the end of the morning session. Big banks are surging, with UFJ, Mizuho and SMFG all posting gains of more than 6 percent.
Tech-related stocks such as Toshiba and NEC are also doing well, while automakers Toyota and Nissan are firmly in the black.
Consumer electronics leader Sony is 2 percent higher to 3650 yen.
The broader Topix index also gained 1.9 percent to 1017.62.
South Korea and Singapore are also moving higher, with the Kospi up 1.3 percent to 816.73 and the Straits Times index 1.1 percent higher to 1746.90.
Hyundai Motor and Samsung Electronics are among the top gainers in Seoul.
Stocks in Australia and New Zealand, the first in the world to trade Monday, are also up strongly, with media heavyweight News Corp. 2.4 percent higher and resources giant BHP Billiton up 2 percent.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 in Australia is ahead 0.76 percent in afternoon trade, while the New Zealand Top 50 is 0.78 percent higher near the close.
Taiwan is relatively subdued, with the Taiex 0.37 percent ahead to 5879.75
The dollar is trading at 108.01 yen in Tokyo, after touching 108.27 yen earlier Monday. It hit a three-year low against the Japanese currency of 106.82 on December 9.
Against the euro, the dollar is up to $1.2193 in Tokyo. The U.S. currency hit a record low of $1.2306 per euro on Friday, and is down 14 percent this year.
Analysts expect the price of gold and oil initially will ease. Gold is trading at $404.27 an ounce Monday after going as high as $412.10 late last week.
That is leading to falls among Australian gold mining shares. Newcrest is down more than 3 percent and AngloGold is off 2.7 percent to A$12.20.
U.S. crude, which rose above $33 a barrel on Friday, is expected to ease by at least $0.50 a barrel.
On the equities front, investors in Japan are also drawing hope from a big improvement in business confidence, as revealed in last Friday's Bank of Japan tankan survey.
The market's biggest stock, mobile phone operator NTT DoCoMo, is 1.75 percent ahead to 232,000 yen and Vodafone Holdings (the former Japan Telecom) is 2.6 percent higher to 276,000 yen.
European and U.S. stocks are expected to follow suit later Monday. On Wall Street Friday, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 1.82 percent to 10,042.16, its highest closing level since May 24, 2002.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq finished the week up 0.57 percent at 1949.00, below the 2000 level it broke through briefly the previous week.
According to Reuters news agency, a spike in stocks would carry the blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average to new year highs, holding it above the psychologically key 10,000 mark.
"There will be some early applause from Wall Street, but it will be subdued because there is a long road ahead," Hugh Johnson, chief investment officer at First Albany Corp, told Reuters.
"It does not signal the end of terrorist attacks both around the world and in the United States."
Stocks have risen sharply since the start of U.S. military operations in Iraq in March, propelled by signs of a reviving economy and higher corporate profits.
The Dow is up 20 percent for the year, the S&P 500 is up 22 percent, and the Nasdaq is up 46 percent. Investors in the United States will focus on Tuesday's Consumer Price Index for the latest read on inflation.
"Initially, there's little doubt that it's a boost for the market," Milton Ezrati, senior economic strategist at fund manager Lord Abbett & Co, told Reuters.
"A major uncertainty has been removed, and it also gives hope that this situation, on a fundamental basis, will improve.
"In the end, the market is going to look at the financial situation, and that will depend on the United States' ability to transfer power and withdraw and relieve the financial strain of this whole exercise."
But there are still global security concerns, as shown Sunday when Pakistan's military President Pervez Musharraf narrowly escaped an assassination attempt after a bomb tore up a section of road seconds after his convoy had passed by, officials said.
(CNN) --Asian markets are sharply higher at midday Monday as investors react to the capture of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Japan is leading the way, with the Nikkei 225 average up 2.7 percent at the end of the morning session. Big banks are surging, with UFJ, Mizuho and SMFG all posting gains of more than 6 percent.
Tech-related stocks such as Toshiba and NEC are also doing well, while automakers Toyota and Nissan are firmly in the black.
Consumer electronics leader Sony is 2 percent higher to 3650 yen.
The broader Topix index also gained 1.9 percent to 1017.62.
South Korea and Singapore are also moving higher, with the Kospi up 1.3 percent to 816.73 and the Straits Times index 1.1 percent higher to 1746.90.
Hyundai Motor and Samsung Electronics are among the top gainers in Seoul.
Stocks in Australia and New Zealand, the first in the world to trade Monday, are also up strongly, with media heavyweight News Corp. 2.4 percent higher and resources giant BHP Billiton up 2 percent.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 in Australia is ahead 0.76 percent in afternoon trade, while the New Zealand Top 50 is 0.78 percent higher near the close.
Taiwan is relatively subdued, with the Taiex 0.37 percent ahead to 5879.75
The dollar is trading at 108.01 yen in Tokyo, after touching 108.27 yen earlier Monday. It hit a three-year low against the Japanese currency of 106.82 on December 9.
Against the euro, the dollar is up to $1.2193 in Tokyo. The U.S. currency hit a record low of $1.2306 per euro on Friday, and is down 14 percent this year.
Analysts expect the price of gold and oil initially will ease. Gold is trading at $404.27 an ounce Monday after going as high as $412.10 late last week.
That is leading to falls among Australian gold mining shares. Newcrest is down more than 3 percent and AngloGold is off 2.7 percent to A$12.20.
U.S. crude, which rose above $33 a barrel on Friday, is expected to ease by at least $0.50 a barrel.
On the equities front, investors in Japan are also drawing hope from a big improvement in business confidence, as revealed in last Friday's Bank of Japan tankan survey.
The market's biggest stock, mobile phone operator NTT DoCoMo, is 1.75 percent ahead to 232,000 yen and Vodafone Holdings (the former Japan Telecom) is 2.6 percent higher to 276,000 yen.
European and U.S. stocks are expected to follow suit later Monday. On Wall Street Friday, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 1.82 percent to 10,042.16, its highest closing level since May 24, 2002.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq finished the week up 0.57 percent at 1949.00, below the 2000 level it broke through briefly the previous week.
According to Reuters news agency, a spike in stocks would carry the blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average to new year highs, holding it above the psychologically key 10,000 mark.
"There will be some early applause from Wall Street, but it will be subdued because there is a long road ahead," Hugh Johnson, chief investment officer at First Albany Corp, told Reuters.
"It does not signal the end of terrorist attacks both around the world and in the United States."
Stocks have risen sharply since the start of U.S. military operations in Iraq in March, propelled by signs of a reviving economy and higher corporate profits.
The Dow is up 20 percent for the year, the S&P 500 is up 22 percent, and the Nasdaq is up 46 percent. Investors in the United States will focus on Tuesday's Consumer Price Index for the latest read on inflation.
"Initially, there's little doubt that it's a boost for the market," Milton Ezrati, senior economic strategist at fund manager Lord Abbett & Co, told Reuters.
"A major uncertainty has been removed, and it also gives hope that this situation, on a fundamental basis, will improve.
"In the end, the market is going to look at the financial situation, and that will depend on the United States' ability to transfer power and withdraw and relieve the financial strain of this whole exercise."
But there are still global security concerns, as shown Sunday when Pakistan's military President Pervez Musharraf narrowly escaped an assassination attempt after a bomb tore up a section of road seconds after his convoy had passed by, officials said.
(CNN) --Asian markets are sharply higher at midday Monday as investors react to the capture of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Japan is leading the way, with the Nikkei 225 average up 2.7 percent at the end of the morning session. Big banks are surging, with UFJ, Mizuho and SMFG all posting gains of more than 6 percent.
Tech-related stocks such as Toshiba and NEC are also doing well, while automakers Toyota and Nissan are firmly in the black.
Consumer electronics leader Sony is 2 percent higher to 3650 yen.
The broader Topix index also gained 1.9 percent to 1017.62.
South Korea and Singapore are also moving higher, with the Kospi up 1.3 percent to 816.73 and the Straits Times index 1.1 percent higher to 1746.90.
Hyundai Motor and Samsung Electronics are among the top gainers in Seoul.
Stocks in Australia and New Zealand, the first in the world to trade Monday, are also up strongly, with media heavyweight News Corp. 2.4 percent higher and resources giant BHP Billiton up 2 percent.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 in Australia is ahead 0.76 percent in afternoon trade, while the New Zealand Top 50 is 0.78 percent higher near the close.
Taiwan is relatively subdued, with the Taiex 0.37 percent ahead to 5879.75
The dollar is trading at 108.01 yen in Tokyo, after touching 108.27 yen earlier Monday. It hit a three-year low against the Japanese currency of 106.82 on December 9.
Against the euro, the dollar is up to $1.2193 in Tokyo. The U.S. currency hit a record low of $1.2306 per euro on Friday, and is down 14 percent this year.
Analysts expect the price of gold and oil initially will ease. Gold is trading at $404.27 an ounce Monday after going as high as $412.10 late last week.
That is leading to falls among Australian gold mining shares. Newcrest is down more than 3 percent and AngloGold is off 2.7 percent to A$12.20.
U.S. crude, which rose above $33 a barrel on Friday, is expected to ease by at least $0.50 a barrel.
On the equities front, investors in Japan are also drawing hope from a big improvement in business confidence, as revealed in last Friday's Bank of Japan tankan survey.
The market's biggest stock, mobile phone operator NTT DoCoMo, is 1.75 percent ahead to 232,000 yen and Vodafone Holdings (the former Japan Telecom) is 2.6 percent higher to 276,000 yen.
European and U.S. stocks are expected to follow suit later Monday. On Wall Street Friday, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 1.82 percent to 10,042.16, its highest closing level since May 24, 2002.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq finished the week up 0.57 percent at 1949.00, below the 2000 level it broke through briefly the previous week.
According to Reuters news agency, a spike in stocks would carry the blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average to new year highs, holding it above the psychologically key 10,000 mark.
"There will be some early applause from Wall Street, but it will be subdued because there is a long road ahead," Hugh Johnson, chief investment officer at First Albany Corp, told Reuters.
"It does not signal the end of terrorist attacks both around the world and in the United States."
Stocks have risen sharply since the start of U.S. military operations in Iraq in March, propelled by signs of a reviving economy and higher corporate profits.
The Dow is up 20 percent for the year, the S&P 500 is up 22 percent, and the Nasdaq is up 46 percent. Investors in the United States will focus on Tuesday's Consumer Price Index for the latest read on inflation.
"Initially, there's little doubt that it's a boost for the market," Milton Ezrati, senior economic strategist at fund manager Lord Abbett & Co, told Reuters.
"A major uncertainty has been removed, and it also gives hope that this situation, on a fundamental basis, will improve.
"In the end, the market is going to look at the financial situation, and that will depend on the United States' ability to transfer power and withdraw and relieve the financial strain of this whole exercise."
But there are still global security concerns, as shown Sunday when Pakistan's military President Pervez Musharraf narrowly escaped an assassination attempt after a bomb tore up a section of road seconds after his convoy had passed by, officials said.
