DEBORAH MARCHINI, CNN ANCHOR: Time now to get a look at the Asian markets, and Michelle Han is standing by in Hong Kong with some numbers for us -- hello, Michelle.</s>MICHELLE HAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Deborah, good morning. Well, overall, it was a day without too much conviction on the part of traders here in Asia. After climbing almost a percent in early trading, the Nikkei 225 gave up some ground, but remained in positive territory, closing up nearly two-tenths of a percent. Traders were relatively heartened by the unexpected interest rate cut by the European Central Bank. The Hang Seng firmed just under a quarter of a percent. And it was a quiet day for traders here in Hong Kong. For the third day in a row, investors picked up shares of interest rate sensitive stocks, as they pinned their hopes on further rate cuts in the U.S. when the Federal Reserve meets next week. And after an unexpectedly weak showing in earlier trading in Taipei, the weighted index staged an impressive rally to close up more than 2 percent. What's helped lead that charge was state-run funds pouring into the markets, mostly into financial stocks. And that's the business day here in Asia -- Deborah, back to you in New York.</s>MARCHINI: All right, thank you, Michelle. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Asian Markets Quiet, But Taiwan Jumps 2 Percent