Asian stocks ended Wednesday’s session mostly higher, with benchmark indexes in China, Hong Kong and Japan leading regional gains after China rolled out fresh stimulus to shore up its economic recovery.<\/p>\n
A stable dollar, falling Treasury yields and positive earnings from Microsoft also helped underpin investor sentiment before next week’s Federal Reserve meeting.<\/p>\n
After U.S. business<\/span> activity ticked higher in October, investors looked ahead to the release of the U.S. PCE price index on Friday for additional clues on the interest rate outlook.<\/p>\n China’s Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.4 percent to 2,974.11 as the country ramped up efforts to stimulate its beleaguered economy<\/span>.<\/p>\n The government announced plans to issue sovereign bonds worth 1 trillion yuan ($137 billion) in an effort to support the recovery amid sluggish growth.<\/p>\n A bulk of the issuance will be directed towards infrastructure spending, particularly rebuilding disaster-hit areas and bolstering relief capabilities.<\/p>\n Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index settled 0.6 percent higher at 17,085.33, led by technology<\/span> and consumer cyclical stocks.<\/p>\n Japanese shares advanced on the back of expectations that the government will resort to tax reductions in the upcoming economic stimulus package.<\/p>\n The Nikkei 225 Index climbed 0.7 percent to 31,269.92, extending a rebound from a three-week low. The broader Topix Index closed 0.6 percent higher at 2,254.40. Tokyo Electron, Screen Holdings, Advantest and IHI Corp. surged 2-5 percent.<\/p>\n Seoul stocks declined after a survey showed consumer sentiment in the country slid for the third straight month in October. The Kospi slid 0.9 percent to 2,363.17.<\/p>\n LG Energy Solution plummeted 8.7 percent after the battery maker said it expects lower revenue growth next year due to economic uncertainties. Rival Samsung SDI lost 7.2 percent.<\/p>\n