Asian Stocks End Higher; Hang Seng Up 0.8%

Update from 12:58 a.m. EDT

By Joe McDonald

BEIJING -- Asian stocks closed higher for a second session Monday amid optimism about China after the Chinese premier said the economy was improving. European markets opened lower.

Investors remained uneasy about the U.S. economic outlook, which depressed oil prices, after last week's declines on Wall Street. Traders have grown worried that an economic recovery may be more subdued than originally hoped -- and that the huge run-up in global stock markets the last three months may be unjustified. ...