Asian markets up; Shanghai soars 48pts

Asian markets have logged gains across the board in early trades today.

China's Shanghai Composite index has soared 48 points to 4034. The Hang Seng had rallied 140 points to 21,077, and the Nikkei has surged 92 points to 17,621.

The Taiwan Weighted index has gained 78 points at 8067. The Straits Times index has advanced 17 points to 3518, and the Seoul Composite index has added 13 points to 1614.