06:41 AM EDT, 03/10/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets staged a "relief rally" Tuesday after the Monday sell-off, as oil prices eased and US President Donald Trump suggested the Middle East war may conclude sooner, rather than later.

Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo finished in the green, as did other regional exchanges, led by a 5.4% gain on Seoul's KOSPI Index.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened higher and held ground, finishing up 2.9% as traders looked for values and noted a positive report on Japan's economy.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 1,519.67 to 54,248.39, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 202 to 22.

Leading the upside was semiconductor-manufacturing equipment maker Lasertec, up 14.5%, while software-tester Shift declined 4.1%.

In economic news, Japan's Q4 gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an annualized rate of 1.3%, not the initial estimate of 0.2%, due in part to increased private-sector capital spending, according to revised estimates issued by the Cabinet Office.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened higher and rose to the close, concluding up 2.2% on strength in tech issues.

The broad gauge Hang Seng rose 551.44 to 25,959.90, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 72 to 17. The Hang Seng TECH Index gained 2.4% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index rose 0.2%.

Leading the upside was Contemporary Amperex Technology, gaining 9.3%, while PetroChina declined 3.6%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.7% to 4,123.14.

On the other regional exchanges, the Taiwan TWSE inclined 2.1%; the Australian ASX 200 inclined 1.1%; the Singapore Straits Times Index rose 2.2%, and the Thai Set inclined 1.7%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was up 0.8%.

The MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index rose 3.1% on the day.