Tokyo  - Stocks across the Asia-Pacific surged Thursday after Wall Street saw strong overnight gains on better-than-expected data from the US housing, manufacturing and auto sectors, suggesting the global recession could be moderating.

In Japan, the region's largest economy, the benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average jumped 4.4 per cent to close at 8,719.78 while the broader Topix index of all first-section issues advanced 4.14 per cent to 826.69.

Tokyo investors bought export-oriented automobile and technology issues as reports showed new car sales in the United States rose in March, recovering from February's 27-year low.

Hong Kong saw the day's biggest gains as India's two main indices were both up about 5 per cent ahead of the end of their trading day.

Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng index closed at its highest level in four months, finishing up 7.4 per cent at 14,521.97.

Shares in the banking giant HSBC Holdings PLC led the way, soaring 15.3 per cent to end the day at 49.40 Hong Kong dollars (6.37 US dollars). The bank's share price had taken a battering over the past few weeks after executives announced an 18-billion-dollar rights issue.

In India, the 30-share sensitive Sensex index of the Bombay Stock Exchange saw its third-straight day of gains, led by software exporters after the rupee declined, boosting the value of their overseas earnings.

It rose 4.64 per cent at 10,361 while the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange was quoted at 3,214.95, up 5.05 per cent.

The stock revival was part of an Asia-wide resurgence that followed stronger-than-expected economic figures from the United States, which suggested the world's largest economy is on the mend.

Sales of existing homes in the United States climbed 2.1 per cent in February from the month before, according to the National Association of Realtors, another small sign that the housing downturn that sparked the US economic crisis, and in turn the global recession, might be bottoming out.

The US Institute for Supply Management's factory index gained for the third-consecutive month although the index at 36.3 remained far below the dividing mark of 50, which marks the balance between contraction and growth.

US car sales fell more than 38 per cent in March compared with the same month year earlier, but carmakers pointed out that the month was still an improvement from February.

As a result, the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.01 per cent, the broader Standard and Poor's 500 Index was up 1.66 per cent and the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index gained 1.51 per cent.

The positive news came as world leaders gathered in London for a summit of the Group of 20, the world's largest economies, to forge measures to overcome the global recession.

In other major markets in the Asia-Pacific, South Korea's Kospi index soared 3.5 per cent to 1,276.97 while Australia's ASX 200 put on 2.7 per cent to close at 3,680.

Stocks in mainland China also rose to a seven-month high after Citic Securities Co said it expected earnings in the second quarter to bounce back with an uptick in the economy. However, China's shares did not see as large of jumps as the rest of the region.

Its Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.72 per cent to 2,425.29 while its Shenzhen Composite Index was up 0.8 per cent at 805.12.

In Taiwan, the main Taiex index gained 3 per cent to close at 5,473.78 with financial shares being the biggest winners.

In South-East Asia, Singapore's Straits Times Index surged 5.9 per cent to 1,803.34, Indonesia's Jakarta Composite Index climbed 2.6 per cent to 1,499.73, the Stock Exchange of Thailand index rose 2.96 per cent to 422.96 and Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur Composite Index was up 2.36 per cent to 905.07. (dpa)