Hong Kong Stocks Soar On US-Mexican Deal

Hong Kong stocks opened with healthy gains on Monday morning as Donald Trump's decision to drop threatened tariffs against Mexico eased global trade concerns.

The Hang Seng Index climbed 0.9 percent, to 27,206.

On the mainland, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index added 0.2 percent, to 2,833, and the Shenzhen Composite Index rose 0.3 percent, to 1,468.

In Tokyo also the stocks were high, tracking rallies on Wall Street.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained 1.2 percent, to 21,144 in early trade.

The closely-watched US Labour Department data showed that "the US economy is slowing to the extent that a rate cut is expected, but not to the extent of prompting worries over a recession", said Masayuki Kubota, chief strategist at Rakuten Securities, in a commentary.

"In a nutshell, it is a comfortable temperature for US stocks" and for the Japanese stock market, he said. (AFP)