Asian stocks rose, with the region’s benchmark index set for a third weekly gain, after U.S. housing permits rose to a four-year high, helping temper concerns about the strength of a global recovery.
Nikkei 225 9,162.5 +69.74 +0.77%
S&P/ASX 200 4,370.1 +39.93 +0.92%
Shanghai Composite 2,114.89 +2.69 +0.13%
Santos Ltd. climbed 3.2 percent after the Australian energy explorer said it will begin sales from a shale gas project in October.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., Japan’s largest publicly traded lender, rose 2.2 percent as German Chancellor Angela Merkel backed the European Central Bank’s conditions for assisting indebted countries.
Samsung Electronics Co., an electronics exporter, fell 3.7 percent in Seoul after resting its case in a patent-infringement trial with Apple Inc.