Nikkei: 9,685.77 (+78.95) Hang Seng: 24,138.31 (+242.21) Shanghai Comp: 3,027.21 (+20.81)ASIAN STOCKS headed into the Easter holiday weekend on a solid footing yesterday as technology names rallied on forecast-beating results from US computer maker Apple.
HSBC gained 1.4 per cent in Hong Kong to HK$84.05. The UK bank plans to overhaul operations in an effort to revive its struggling US operations. PetroChina added 1.9 per cent to HK$11.88.
Airline shares dipped in response to the rise in oil, with China Eastern Airlines down 2.5 per cent to HK$3.46 and in Seoul, Korean Air Lines slid 1.7 per cent to Won62,600.
Samsung Electronics rose 1.3 per cent to Won928,000. Chipmakers also continued to revel in upbeat forecasts from Intel, with Hynix Semiconductor, a South Korean memory chip maker, leaping 7.9 per cent to Won37,000.
In Tokyo, Japanese chipmaker Elpida Memory rallied 3.6 per cent to ¥1,179. Japanese energy explorer Inpex rose 3.5 per cent to ¥622,000.
Suppliers of chips and iPhone parts also did well in Taiwan, with TSMC up 1.3 per cent to T$70.70 and Hon Hai adding 1.4 per cent to T$109.50. – (Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2011)
