Japan's Nikkei opens 1 per cent higher. — Reuters pic
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.3 per cent to its highest since early January and sits just a fraction below a two-year high. The US Food and Drug Administration's move was hailed by President Donald Trump. Shares of AstraZeneca also rose on a Financial Times report that the US government was considering fast-tracking its experimental vaccine.
In currency markets, the US dollar, which has been sensitive to sentiment in equity markets edged higher, defying pressure from a gain in stocks that often leads investors to sell US dollars for riskier currencies.