Asian equities were largely higher on high volumes driven by FTSE Russell and S&P index rebalances and triple witching in the US, led higher by Japan, Hong Kong, and India outperforming as the Bank of Japan didn’t raise interest rates overnight,

Chinese appliance maker Midea Group has started taking orders from investors for an initial public offering to raise up to US$3.46 billion in Hong Kong.

The Hang Seng Index climbed 1.5 per cent to 18,275.14 at the noon break. It has advanced 5.2 per cent

Asian equities were mostly higher overnight while Mainland China was closed for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and Malaysia were also closed.