Forex Pros – Asian stocks were broadly higher on Wednesday, as shares in the technology sector were boosted by upbeat earnings reports from Apple and IBM, while shares in the energy sector gained as crude oil prices hovered near a two year high. During late Asian trade, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index jumped 0.90%, South Korea's Kospi Composite surged 0.92%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index was up 0.36%. On Tuesday, consumer electronics giant Apple and International Business Machines, the world’s largest computer services provider both posted fourth quarter profit and sales that topped analysts’ expectations. Shares in Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer Hitachi rallied 3.79%, the world’s third largest computer chip producer Elpida Memory saw shares jump 5.73%, while electronics giant Sony saw shares add 0.94%. Meanwhile, shares in Japan’s second largest textile manufacturer Toray Industries soared 4.71% after Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock. Shares in rival Teijin Limited jumped 6.58%. In Hong Kong, shares in the energy sector performed strongly as crude oil prices jumped. Shares in China’s largest oil and gas company PetroChina jumped 1.39%, rivals Sinopec saw shares surge 4.13%, while shares in China Shenhua Energy climbed 2.51%. Meanwhile, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index rose 0.68% as resource stocks led gains after metal prices advanced. Shares in the world’s largest mining group BHP Billiton saw climbed 0.94%, rival Rio Tinto saw shares gain 0.97%, while shares in platinum producer Platinum Australia soared 10.32%. The outlook for European equity markets, meanwhile, was mixed. The EURO STOXX 50 futures pointed to a gain of 0.10%, France’s CAC 40 futures indicated a drop of 0.07%, the FTSE 100 futures pointed to a modest increase of 0.02%, while Germany's DAX futures were up 0.05%. Later in the day, the euro zone was to publish official data on its current account while the U.S. was expected to publish official data on building permits as well as a report on housing starts.

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