Asian equity markets rallied on Monday, tracking Wall Street's strong performance on Friday attributed mainly to strong corporate earnings. However, the geopolitical stress from the Middle East conflict capped gains. Markets in China and Japan were closed for holidays.
The Hang Seng Index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange jumped 1.2 percent from the previous close to finish trading at 26,095.88. The day's trading range was between a high of 26,326.44 and a low of 26,091.86. The index has gained around 16 percent over the course of the past year.
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May 01, 2026 15:54 ET Central banks dominated the economics news flow this week with almost all major ones announcing their latest policy decisions and many boosted expectations for a rate hike in June. In other news, several countries released the preliminary data for first quarter economic growth. In the U.S., comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell were also in focus as his term ends this month.