Stocks are higher in the Asia-Pac region.....>

STOCKS: Stocks are higher in the Asia-Pac region on Thursday, once again taking

a positive lead from US stocks where the S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose again and the

Dow Jones closed down marginally. After being closed yesterday for "Coming of

Age Day" Japanese equity markets had some catching up to do after US stocks hit

record highs. The Nikkei 225 rose around 210 points at the open and a bout of

profit taking as the 24,000 level approached. This weakness was exacerbated

after the BoJ cut long end purchases under YCC, this was interpreted as a

tapering signal from the Bank and saw yen strengthen significantly which pushed

the index to session lows of 23,789. Nikkei 225 last trades up 147 points at

23,682. All 11 sectors are in the green led by Real Estate.

- In Austrlaia the ASX 200 is up 13 points at 6,143. Energy and Materials

sectors lead the way higher as the energy and metals complex continue gains.

- In China the Shanghai Comp is up 1 point at 3,410, in Hong Kong the Hang Seng

is up 102 points at 31,002. 

- In South Korea Samsung shares are lower after their earnings, Samsung reported

lower profits and cited a slowdown in memory chips sales and a stronger KRW.