Shares across Asia were mostly higher on Tuesday’s closing bell along with the easing of geopolitical tensions followed by North Korea’s failed ballistic missile test last weekend. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence resumes his visit on Asia.
The Aussie benchmark ASX 200 was 0.14 percent lower as the markets in the country opened its doors after the long Easter holiday. However, Nikkei 225 in Japan added 0.97 percent in previous close and South Korea’s Kospi index edged slightly higher by 0.21 percent.
On Monday, Mike Pence was in South Korea where he paid a visit to the demilitarized zone (DMZ). He said that the United States’ “era of strategic patience” was over on North Korea. The vice president is scheduled to meet Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso in Japan on the second destination of his 10-day visit of the region, where Pence is likely to eye on investment issues and trade.
In other news, Alibaba’s partner Ant Financial raised its offer for payments firm MoneyGram International following an opposing proposal created by Euronet Worldwide. The company’s updated offer was higher about 36 percent at $18 per share, and $1.2 billion in total. The MoneyGram board is said to agree with the proposal however the agreement has to be approved first by the Committee of Foreign Investment (CFIUS).
Meanwhile in corporate news, HTG Molecular Diagnostics’ shares rose by 10 percent after the reports that it had filed to a master services deal with Daiichi Sankyo in Japan. Shares of Daiichi Sankyo edged up by 0.08 percent in previous close.
Major indices in the United States gained 0.8 percent in total, as posted on Wall Street. Investors are currently focusing on the first quarter earnings in the prior country.