Asian stocks rose, with the regional benchmark index headed for its highest close in a month, after China’s economic growth matched economists’ estimates and U.S. housing starts jumped.

Nikkei 225 8,982.86 +176.31 +2.00%

S&P/ASX 200 4,559.4 +31.19 +0.69%

Shanghai Composite 2,132.3 +26.68 +1.27%

China Overseas Land & Investment Ltd. rose 2.1 percent in Hong Kong.

James Hardie Industries SE, a building-materials supplier that gets 67 percent of sales from the U.S., gained 2 percent in Sydney.