Asian markets rally; Nikkei up 158pts

Asian markets have gained smartly this morning.

The Hang Seng has rallied 241 points to 14,716. The Nikkei has surged 158 points to 8,753.

The Taiwan Weighted index has rallied 162 points to 5,605. The Straits Times index has advanced 36 points to 1,820, and the Seoul Composite index has added 33 points to 1,295.

The Shanghai Composite index has gained 22 points at 2,369.