Investing.com -Asian Pacific markets opened in the green on Monday, driven by the boost in US indices on Friday, led by the tech sector.
By 10:35 am AEST (12:35 am GMT) the S&P/ASX 200 and KOSPI 200 added 0.6%, 0.7% respectively while the Nikkei 225 remained closed for a public holiday.
In the US, the S&P 500 recorded its first weekly advance in four weeks, and the NASDAQ Composite broke a four-week losing streak. Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) shares climbed after strong quarterly earnings, while energy and utilities remained the worst-performing sectors. Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) and Chevron (NYSE:CVX)'s stocks experienced mixed results despite significant first-quarter profits.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 153 points or 0.4% to 38239, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq increased by 1% and 2%, closing at 5099 and 15927, respectively.
In the commodities arena, Brent crude oil saw a 0.6% increase to US$89.50 a barrel, while gold rose by 0.2% to US$2,337.96.
In the Asian markets, Chinese shares ended on a high note, buoyed by an optimistic outlook. Financial services stocks led the gains, following the State Council's decision to bolster leading securities companies. The Shanghai Composite Index, Shenzhen Composite Index, and the ChiNext Price Index all posted gains.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index experienced a 2.1% rise, closing at 17651.15. In Japan, the Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.8% to close at 37934.76. However, India's Sensex closed 0.8% lower at 73730.16, impacted by losses in the financial sector.
European stocks also saw a rise, with the Stoxx Europe 600 index, CAC 40, and DAX 40 all posting gains. The FTSE 100 in the UK closed up 0.75% at 8139.83.