Asia-Pacific markets rose on Tuesday, tracking gains on Wall Street, which ticked up after U.S. retail sales data appeared to ease recession concerns.
Investors will be keeping a close watch on Japanese markets, as the Bank of Japan kicks off its two-day monetary policy meeting on Tuesday. The central bank is widely expected to hold interest rates steady at 0.5% when the meeting concludes on Wednesday.
The BOJ's two-day meeting coincides with the U.S. Federal Reserve, with the latter also expected to keep interest rates unchanged.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 started the day 1.34% higher, while the broader Topix index rose 1.26%.
Over in South Korea, the Kospi index advanced 0.76% at the open while the small-cap Kosdaq added 0.38%.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was trading 0.63% higher.
Meanwhile, futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 24,186 pointing to a stronger open compared to the HSI's last close of 24,145.57.
Source: CNBC
