Asian stock markets rise

Stocks in Asia-Pacific rose on Tuesday, led by the central bank of South Korea. Stocks in Asia-Pacific rose on Tuesday after the Bank of Korea kept interest rates on hold at 3.5 percent, in line with expectations. South Korea's central bank kept interest rates steady for a second consecutive day as the country grapples with a 4.2 percent inflation rate. South Korea's Kospi rose further after the move, trading 0.96 percent higher. The Kosdaq rose 0.3 percent. Bitcoin surpassed $30,000 for the first time since June 2022, while Ether approached $2,000. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index led gains in the region, trading 1.3 percent higher. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 1.3 percent and the Topix rose 0.85 percent, led by technology and consumer sentiment. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 1.4 percent, led by health care, real estate and utilities sectors. China’s inflation data came in at a weaker-than-expected 0.7 percent. The Shanghai Composite Index rose slightly and the Shenzhen Component Index rose 0.1 percent. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose slightly as investors awaited key inflation data this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.03 percent, led by declines in technology stocks, including Apple, which fell 1.6 percent, and Google-parent Alphabet, which fell 1.8 percent. Tesla shares fell 0.3 percent after the company said it would cut prices again on some electric vehicles.