Regional equities edged higher in the........>

STOCKS: Regional equities edged higher in the Asia-Pacific session as equities

breathed a sigh of relief after US yields failed to move higher.

- The Nikkei 225 last trades 0.5% higher after USDJPY moved back towards 107.00,

although foreigners have remained net sellers of Japanese equites for 6

consecutive weeks which could worry bulls. The consumer staples sector was the

sole sector to post losses, while energy and real estate names led the way

higher.

- Hong Kong's Hang Seng went in to the lunch break 0.9% higher with a similar

sectoral breakdown to Japan. While mainland Chinese stocks lagged the rally,

with the the CSI 300 finishing the morning session 0.1% higher after a fresh

liquidity injection from the PBoC outweighed worries surround the forced

regulatory takeover of Angbang Insurance.

- Australia's ASX 200 was up just shy of 0.9%. Once again consumer staples names

lagged, while materials led the rally.