DEBORAH MARCHINI, CNN ANCHOR: Well, in Asia, investors had their first opportunity to react to the Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates. Dalton Tanonaka joins me now live from Hong Kong with a look at just how they graded it -- Dalton.</s>DALTON TANONAKA, CNN ASIAN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Deborah. You could have guessed it. The surprise U.S. Fed move and some strong tech earnings reported after the bell in the U.S. propelled Asian markets strongly higher. Tokyo powered up nearly 5 percent in early trading, hovering above the 14000 level. It stayed near that point for most of the day, only to slip back a bit near the close of trading, to finish up 1.67 percent. Among the big movers in Tokyo: tech stocks -- electronics giant Sony picking up 3.75 percent. Chipmaker NEC climbed nearly 6 percent. And Fujitsu sprang up 5.33 percent. Investors reacted even more positively in other Asian markets. Hong Kong's Hang Seng picked up steam as the day wore on. It closed 4.5 percent higher. And in Seoul, the blue chip KOSPI closed with a 4.33 percent gain, with the tech leading KOSDAQ up 3.25 percent. That is a quick survey of a strong market day here in Asia. Back to you, Deb, in New York.</s>MARCHINI: All right, thank you very much, Dalton. 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 React Positively to Fed Cut