Asian markets mixed; Nikkei rallies 197pts

Asian markets are exhibiting mixed trend this morning.

The Hang Seng is down 46 points at 12,285. The Nikkei has surged 197 points to 7,488.

The Taiwan Weighted index has rallied 77 points to 4,618. The Straits Times index has slipped 10 points to 1,535, and the Seoul Composite index has declined seven points to 1,053.

The Shanghai Composite index is up 20 points to 2,218.