Asian markets rally; Nikkei up 116pts

Asian markets have rallied in morning trades following positive cues from the Asian markets.

Japan's Nikkei has rallied 116 points to 17,849, Hong Kong's Hang Seng has surged 173 points to 20,752.

The Taiwan Weighted index has soared 103 points to 8450. The Straits Times index has advanced 33 points to 3585, and the Seoul Composite index had added 28 points to 1750.

The Shanghai Composite, however, has slipped six points to 4170.