Asia ignores alert, closes higher
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(CNN) -- Asian markets closed broadly higher Monday, ignoring a heightened terror alert in the United States.
Taiwan led the gains in the region, with a boost of about 1.3 percent. South Korea moved against the trend, falling about 0.8 percent.
In Tokyo, techs and automakers helped lift the Nikkei 225 average to 10,372.51, a rise of 0.86 per cent.
The broader Topix put on 0.66 per cent, to finish at 1015.26.
Tokyo's financial markets will be closed Tuesday for a national holiday.
In Australia, investors pushed the market to its highest close in nearly seven weeks, up 0.7 percent. New Zealand added about half a percent.
Hong Kong is 0.7 percent higher, while Singapore is up about 1 percent heading towards the close.
In Tokyo, blue-chips such as market heavyweight NTT DoCoMo and carmaker Nissan were in demand.
DoCoMo jumped 4.35 percent to 240,000 yen and rival mobile phone operator KDDI put on 2 percent to 587,000 yen.
Nissan closed 1.7 percent higher at 1242 yen on greater optimism about its earnings prospects, while Toyota added 1.37 percent to 3690 yen. Honda slipped 0.2 percent.
Big banks were mixed, with a gain of 0.86 percent for UFJ, but slight falls for Mizuho, SMFG and MTFG.
Tech bellwether Tokyo Electron rose 2.5 percent to 7810 yen and Advantest jumped 3.3 percent to 8060 yen.
Government figures released Monday showed a slight fall in Japan's exports for November, year on year. (Full story)
In Seoul, the Kospi eased 0.82 percent to 804.54. Hyundai Motor slipped 2 percent and Samsung Electronics fell 1.45 percent to 442,000 won.
Big bank Shinhan Financial Group put on 2.8 percent.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX200 closed 0.7 percent higher to 3255.4, helped by a 1.37 percent lift to A$11.84 for media group News Corp.
That came after the company passed the final regulatory hurdles for its acquisition of U.S. satellite broadcaster DirecTV. (Full story)
Resources stocks BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto were also higher. The demerged AMP continued to gain, putting on 2.7 percent to A$4.94.
Taiwan's Taiex finished 1.32 percent higher at 5835.11, boosted by a 2.5 percent lift for the market's biggest stock, chip foundry TSMC. Rival UMC rose 2.8 percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index is up 0.72 percent to 12,460.77, with solid gains for Hutchison Whampoa, China Mobile and HSBC.
Tokyo will be closed on December 23 for Emperor Akihito's birthday but will follow normal trading hours over Christmas. Australia's market will be closed on Thursday and Friday and will follow a shortened session on December 24.
Wall Street will be closed on December 25 and open for shortened sessions on December 24 and 26.
The U.S. government raised its terror alert to the second-highest level Sunday and warned that terrorists might launch attacks in the United States around the holidays on a scale that could "rival or exceed" September 11, 2001.
