LONDON - Japanese stocks outperformed all others Tuesday as traders in the country returned from a public holiday in buoyant mood, sending the Nikkei index above 14,000 for the first time in nearly five years. The Nikkei surged 3.6 per cent to 14,180.24 on its first day of trading following the Golden Week holiday — that's the first time the Nikkei has breached the 14,000 mark since June 2008.

Asian markets rose Monday after a strong US jobs report revived optimism over the US economic recovery and drove Wall Street to record highs. Hong Kong shares rose 0.99 percent, or 225.13 points, to close at 22,915.09 while Shanghai advanced 1.16 percent, or 25.67 points, to 2,231.17. Sydney added 0.52 percent, or 26.7 points, to 5,156.2. Tokyo and Bangkok were closed for holidays.

Hong Kong shares fell 0.26 percent to a five-month low on Thursday, a fifth straight loss, following falls on Wall Street and on concerns over China's economy. The benchmark Hang Seng Index fell 57.15 points to end at 21,512.52 -- its worst close since November 20 -- on turnover of HK$54.48 billion ($7.03 billion). Traders are still reeling from data out of China on Monday showing the economy, the world's second biggest, grew at a slower pace in January-March than it did in the previous three months, stoking fears about a recent recovery.

Beijing, Apr 15 (EFE).- China's economy grew 7.7 percent on an interannual basis in the first quarter, slightly slower than the 7.9 percent pace of the last three months of 2012, the National Statistics Bureau said Monday. The world's No. 2 economy posted gross domestic product of 11.89 trillion yuan ($1.92 trillion) during the January-March period amid "stable and constant" growth, an NBS spokesman said.