Asia shares start week higher after Wall Street rally

Asian stock markets rose on Monday, taking their lead from strong gains on Wall Street despite weaker-than-expected Japanese growth figures. Global markets rallied last week following a turbulent period, as investors were reassured that the US economy could handle the Federal Reserve's decision to reduce its stimulus programme. Tokyo stocks rose 0.40 percent on Monday morning after falling at the market open, Hong Kong jumped 0.79 percent, Sydney climbed 0.36 percent, and Seoul was up 0.33 percent. Shanghai was up 0.36 percent by mid-morning. US stocks soared on Friday with the Dow Jones Industrial Average finishing up 360.31 (2.28 percent), its biggest weekly increase of 2014, at 16,154.39. The broad-based S&P 500 rose 41.61 (2.32 percent) to 1,838.63, while the tech-rich Nasdaq vaulted 118.17 (2.86 percent) to 4,244.03. It was the second straight week of gains across the board, according to AFP.