This year’s big winner so far, the Tokyo Stock Exchange, continued its upward journey with the Nikkei 225 up 0.3 percent and the Topix up 0.4 percent as traders closed their screens for the lunch break.
Among the winners were the camera manufacturer Nikon and Advantest, which makes test equipment for the semiconductor industry.
Rates also rose in China, after the central bank announced an interest rate cut. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng climbed 0.7 percent, while Shanghai’s composite index settled for 0.2 percent. Shenzhen’s composite index was up 0.9 percent at 11 a.m.
The Taiwan Stock Exchange’s weighted index rose 0.2 percent, while the Kospi in Seoul went against the grain, losing half a percent by lunchtime.