Asian shares rose to their highest in nearly five months on expectations of an imminent deal to reopen the U.S. government and avert a possible debt default, though the squabbling in Washington kept markets on edge ahead of Thursday's deadline.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan advanced 0.6 percent on Tuesday morning to its highest level since May 23. Tokyo's Nikkei share average also gained 0.6 percent, hitting a two-week peak.
A number of markets in the region, including Singapore, Indonesia and India, were closed for holidays.
On Wall Street, signals that politicians were heading towards a deal that would avert a possible U.S. default pushed the S&P 500 index up 0.4 percent to its highest close in nearly one month.
U.S. S&P 500 E-mini futures added 0.2 percent early on Tuesday, indicating a firmer open if the gains were to be maintained. U.S. Treasury futures slipped 5 ticks.
Source: Reuters
