Asian markets up; Nikkei gains 185pts

Asian markets are up smartly this morning on hopes of futher gains in the US markets.

The Hang Seng is up 23 at 24,113. The Nikkei has surged 185 points to 13,014.

The Taiwan Weighted index has gained 113 points at 7,522.
The Straits Times index has rallied 81 points to 3,065, and the Seoul Composite index has added 25 points to 1,654.

The Shanghai Composite index, however, has slipped 35 points to 4,668.