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Summary Asian markets closed higher on Tuesday as the Japanese stocks jump after a massive earthquake.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 in Tokyo jumped 3.6 percent, or 331.87 points, to 9,538.62, with sentiment buoyed by signs that authorities had stabilized a nuclear complex that was leaking radiation.Hong Kongs Hang Seng index was higher by 0.3 percent to 22,743.11. South Koreas Kospi index rose 0.4 percent to 2,011.52, and Australias S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.2 percent to 4,650.60. But shares in mainland China were mixed. The muted performance follows an announcement Friday that the Peoples Bank of China would raise the bank reserve requirement ratio by half a percentage point on March 25. The hike, the third this year, is intended to cool lending and inflation.In New York on Monday, stocks started the week with big gains Monday on a major telecommunications deal. The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 12,000 for the first time since the nuclear power plant failed.Oil prices rose 27 cents to $102.60 early Tuesday in Asia. The April contract, which ends Tuesday, rose $1.26 to settle at $102.33 per barrel on Monday.
