In response to the latest BoJ central bank move, Asian shares were broadly higher Wednesday. Of no surprise, it was Japan’s Nikkei that fared the best, up 1.2% to a four-month high, as the yen fell 0.6% against the dollar to ¥79.17, the lowest in a month. The BoJ announced a more aggressive than expected new stimulus package that increased the current asset-purchasing program by about ¥10 trillion ($127 billion) with the deadline for completion extended to the end of 2013 from June 2013. Elsewhere in the region, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.2% as well, followed a 0.5% increase in Australia’s S&P/ASX 200, a 0.4% gain in China’s Shanghai Composite, and a 0.2% increase in South Korea’s Kospi. |