Asian markets edge up amid strong earnings and declining oil costs

Major Asian stock market indices edged higher today, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street after a drop in oil prices and strong corporate earnings boosted investor sentiment. Japan’s Nikkei 225 surged nearly 5.6% to close at a record high of 62,834 after briefly crossing the 63,000 mark during intraday trade. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained nearly 1.6%, South Korea’s Kospi index advanced over 1.4%, China’s Shanghai Composite index rose almost half a per cent, and Singapore’s Straits Times Index added 0.3%.
Major European indices were trading on a negative note today. London’s FTSE 100 was trading over half a per cent down, Germany’s DAX slipped over 0.3%, and France’s CAC 40 dipped 0.2% when reports last came in.