Asian Stocks Trade Mostly Higher

By Jeremiah Marquez

HONG KONG -- Asian stock markets were mostly higher Tuesday, shrugging off lackluster trade in the U.S. and Europe amid growing optimism the world economy will recover later this year.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 stock average rose 0.9% to 9125.65 as a weaker yen boosted exporters like Sony(SNE Quote) and Toyota(TM Quote).

The Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.8%, while South Korea's Kospi was up 0.9% and Australia's key benchmark added 1.3%. Hong Kong was the only major regional market to fall, with the Hang Seng index down 1.1%. ...