Asian stocks rose, driving the regional benchmark index toward the biggest back-to-back monthly advance since February 2012, after profit climbed at Daiwa Securities Group Inc.  and China Petroleum & Chemical Corp.

Nikkei 225 14,502.35 +176.37 +1.23%

Hang Seng 23,304.02 +457.48 +2.00%

S&P/ASX 200 5,430.85 +15.33 +0.28%

Shanghai Composite 2,160.46 +31.60 +1.48%

Daiwa, Japan’s second-largest brokerage, advanced 3.8 percent.

FKP Property Group gained 4 percent after a shareholder sold shares in the Australian real-estate firm for a higher price than yesterday’s close.

China Petroleum & Chemical, known as Sinopec, climbed 2 percent in Hong Kong after third-quarter profit surged 20 percent, beating estimates.