Asian stocks climbed, with the regional index rising from a one-month low led by Japanese shares, as better-than-estimated Chinese and U.S. economic data bolstered the global outlook. Most Asian currencies weakened against the dollar as precious metals retreated. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index gained 0.5 percent by 9:11 a.m. in Tokyo, after closing at the lowest level since October 8 last week. Japan’s Topix Index jumped 1.2 percent as the yen traded at a seven-week low versus the greenback. Standard & Poor’s 500 Index futures were little changed. Currencies from Australia to Malaysia and South Korea lost at least 0.1 percent. Gold was near the lowest closing level since October 16 and silver lost 0.5 percent while copper futures rose 0.3 percent. Chinese Data Industrial production in China rose 10.3 percent last month from a year earlier, the nation’s statistics service said Nov. 9, exceeding the 10 percent median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists and accelerating from 10.2 percent growth in September. Inflation came in at 3.2 percent, below the 3.5 percent full-year government target and the 3.3 percent projected by economists. Retail sales rose 13.3 percent from a year earlier and producer prices fell 1.5 percent. Yen, Won Growth in Malaysia’s factory production probably slowed to 2 percent from a year earlier in September, according to a Bloomberg survey. San Miguel Corp., Taiyo Yuden Co. and Sembcorp Industries Ltd. are among Asian companies scheduled to report earnings today. Australian Bonds Yields on Australian government bonds due in a decade rose 10 basis points, or 0.10 percentage point, today to 4.23 percent. The U.S. government bond market is closed for Veteran’s Day today. Gold Bets Hedge funds cut bullish bets on gold in the week ended Nov. 5, adding the most short contracts in four weeks, according to U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data. Short bets jumped 37 percent, the most since October 15, and long wagers fell 4.9 percent, the data show. Copper futures rose after the metal retreated 1.1 percent in London last week. West Texas Intermediate crude oil added 0.1 percent today to $94.72 a barrel, after climbing 0.4 percent November 8, almost erasing a fifth weekly decline. Gasoline futures rose 0.3 percent today and contracts on natural gas gained 0.6 percent.
