Japan's Nikkei extends Kospi Second quarterly profit, Yuan Rise

Japan's Nikkei 225 (NKY) extended their best back-to-back quarterly profit in four decades and the nation's long-term bonds rose amid expectations of economic stimulus. The yuan and South Korean stocks rose.

The Nikkei added 0.5 percent even as the broader Topix index fell 0.2 percent to 3 pm close in Tokyo. The MSCI Asia Pacific (MXAP) increased 0.1 percent, with many markets closed for a holiday.

Japan 20-year bond yields touched the lowest since 2003, and the yen is set for a monthly decline in betting BOJ sixth, Haruhiko Kuroda will hear the government's call to boost monetary easing as soon as next week. The yuan hit a high of 19.

Japan manufacturers point to a recovery in production this month after the deepest slide since the end of March 2011 an earthquake. Kuroda said this week the Bank of Japan could scrap a rule that limits the amount of asset purchases and collect longer maturity bonds to achieve an inflation target of 2 percent per year, adopted at the behest of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

"Japanese stocks have simply gone through a major adjustment, reaching populations overseas as government policies and the yen changed direction," said Isao Kubo, an equity strategist at Tokyo-based Nissay Asset Management Corp. , which oversees about 5 trillion yen ($ 53 billion). "The setting is not over yet and actions may extend gains a little more, as we see new political content."

Financial markets in the U.S. and Europe will be closed today for Good Friday. Much of Asia is also closed, including Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Philippines and Sri Lanka.

Kospi, Kuroda

Korea's Kospi index rose 0.6 percent, even as military tensions with North intensification. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rockets yesterday ordered placed in standby mode, the state-controlled Korean Central News Agency said today. The won strengthened 0.2 percent to 1,111.35 per dollar, posting the best quarterly streak since September 2010.

The yen rose 0.1 percent to 94.04 per dollar at 5:02 pm in Tokyo, set to complete its longest stretch of monthly declines since 2001. The euro was little changed at $ 1.2815 against the dollar.

Japan's industrial output will rise by 1 percent in March, after falling 0.1 percent in February from the previous month, according to estimates made ​​by a Ministry of Commerce today. Year after year, the data showed that output fell 11 percent in February, while consumer prices, excluding fresh food fell 0.3 percent, in the absence of an increase in a 10th month.

Kuroda will chair his first meeting BOJ policy on 3-4 April. He said this week that the goal of achieving the price target of 2 percent in two years.

Japan 20-year bond yields slid government up to 4 1/2 basis points to 1.360 percent, and 30 years fell 6 basis points to 1.5 percent. Both were the least since July 2003. The 10-year rate rose five basis points to 0.56 percent.