In Asia today, the Nikkei closed up 153.65 points at 17,163.20, while the Hang
Seng ended the morning up 93.96 points at 19,360.70.
New York Mercantile Exchange's main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in April, was up 39 cents at $56.98 a barrel from $56.59 in late trading in the US overnight.