Asian shares rise

Asian shares rose Thursday, with Tokyo scaling a 21-month high thanks to a weaker yen, but pessimism lingered about the prospects for a US "fiscal cliff" deal by the year-end deadline.

Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 index climbed 0.91 percent, or 92.62 points, to 10,322.98, the highest level since March 11 last year when a massive quake struck Japan, sparking a tsunami and the worst atomic crisis in a generation.

The dollar rose to its highest level in more than two years against the yen as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office, raising expectations that the Bank of Japan would initiate more aggressive monetary easing under his leadership.

Seoul closed 0.26 percent, or 5.10 points, higher at 1,987.35 and Sydney gained 0.28 percent, or 12.8 points, to 4,648.0.

Hong Kong was up 0.36 percent in afternoon trade while Shanghai eased 0.60 percentages stocks fell overnight on continued uncertainty about whether a deal to avert the fiscal cliff.

AFP