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GLOBAL MARKETS-Metals boost mining stocks; Asia chip shrs gain

GLOBAL MARKETS-Metals boost mining stocks; Asia chip shrs gain Soaring commodities prices lifted mining stocks such as BHP Billiton (BHP.AX: Quote, Profile, Research), pushing Australia's main index to a record on Friday, and most other Asian share markets rose on gains in technology stocks. Gold matched a 25-year-high above $588 an ounce and platinum hit a record high as fund managers poured money into precious metals, while copper and zinc stayed close to new peaks reached on Thursday. "Fund operators are shifting back into metals ahead of the new quarter," said Koji Suzuki, market analyst at Livedoor Commodity Ltd. in Japan.

Decline in crude fuels rally

Decline in crude fuels rally TOKYO Asian stocks rose Monday as lower prices for crude oil eased concern that high fuel costs would curb economic growth. LG Electronics and Honda Motor led a rebound by exporters. "Falling oil prices boost investor confidence," said Mike Shiao, a fund manager at Invesco Taiwan in Taipei. The Morgan Stanley Capital International Asia-Pacific Index added 0.62 points to reach 120.47 in Tokyo, its highest point since April 2000. It has risen almost 19 percent this year. The Nikkei 225-stock average rose 218.41 points to 15,391.48. It has jumped 34 percent in 2005, and it is

Fed helps lift optimism in Asia

Fed helps lift optimism in Asia Asian stocks followed Wall Street higher on Friday after the Federal Reserve signaled that it might end a two-year run of interest-rate increases. The Nikkei 225 stock average climbed 384.03 points, or 2.5 percent, to 15,505.18, the Kospi posted its biggest weekly rise in Seoul for eight months and the Straits Times index in Singapore closed more than 2 percent higher. The benchmark Australian stock index surged 1.5 percent. The MSCI benchmark index for shares of Asias biggest companies outside Japan jumped 3.1 percent to a three-week high. The U.S. central

STOCKS NEWS ASIA-Markets mixed, commodity stocks shine

STOCKS NEWS ASIA-Markets mixed, commodity stocks shine Asian stock markets were mixed on Tuesday but commodity companies such as global miner BHP Billiton (BHP.AX: Quote, Profile, Research) and energy developer INPEX Holdings (1605.T: Quote, Profile, Research) rose on the back of a surge in metals and oil prices. Copper and zinc set record highs and U.S. crude rallied 2 percent towards $69 a barrel on Monday, while gold jumped above $600 an ounce to levels last seen in December 1980. Oil was at $68.68 in early Asian trade. By 0025 GMT, Tokyo stocks < .N225> were flat, up 0.01 percent,

Asia shares gain on US jobs data

Asia shares gain on US jobs data Asian stocks rose more than 1 per cent on Monday as strong US jobs data late last week buoyed hopes that consumers there would buy more Asian goods, and oil prices dropped further below $60 a barrel. Gold jumped more than $3 an ounce after dropping on Friday when the dollar surged on stronger-than-expected February US payroll numbers. By 0215 GMT, the dollar was a little off late last week's near five-week high against the yen. The Nikkei share average was up 1.4 per cent at 16,334.08 at the mid-session, extending last week's 2.9