(AP photo)BEIJING: Asian stock markets were mostly higher on Tuesday as 2018 trading began and investors looked ahead to whether the record-setting US equity run will last. The Shanghai Composite Index rose 1% to 3,339.63 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1.4% to 30,350.50. US stocks slid on the final trading day of 2017 but turned in their strongest annual performance since 2013. A survey by Chinese business magazine Caixin found manufacturing activity in December accelerated by its biggest margin in four months. The magazine's purchasing managers' index rose to 51.5 from November's 50.8 on a 100-point scale on which numbers above 50 show activity improving.

Source: Bangkok Post January 02, 2018 04:07 UTC