Asia shares rise as ECB says rates rise ’very distant’

Asian markets climbed on Friday after the European Central Bank said it would keep interest rates at record lows for “as long as necessary”, while concerns over Portugal’s political crisis also abated.

The euro remained under pressure in Asia after suffering losses late Thursday in the wake of the ECB announcement, while the dollar extended its gains against the yen after climbing back above 100 yen.

Tokyo rose 1.19 per cent, Hong Kong added 1.33 per cent, Sydney was 0.94 per cent higher and Shanghai was up 0.13 per cent.

via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1275851/asia-shares-rise-ecb-says-rates-rise-very-distant