Asian stock indices increased due to strong U.S. economic data, following the U.S. stock indices. U.S. durable goods orders rose 0.8% in April, after a 2.9% gain in March. The U.S. consumer confidence index climbed to 83.0 in May, from 81.7 in April.

Indexes on the close:

Nikkei 225                       14,670.95              +34.43        +0.24%

Hang Seng                       23,080.03            +135.73         +0.59%

Shanghai Composite        2,050.23              +15.66         +0.77%