Asians shares have risen strongly following the announcement that US senators will vote later on Wednesday on a revamped financial rescue plan.
Japan's main Nikkei index was up 108 points or 1% to 11,368 in afternoon trading on increased hopes that a new deal can be agreed this week.
Australian and New Zealand stocks also saw big gains, rising 3.5% and 3%.
The new US package is broadly Bush warning over bail-out delay ...
Car bomb strikes Iraqi Shiite town ...
Germany's Frodeno takes gold in triathlon ... similar to the first, but includes new measures to help gain Congress's backing.
One of those new clauses will raise the government's guarantee on savings from $100,000 (Ј56,000) to $250,000.
Bill momentum
To get through the Senate, the bill will require the backing of 60 of the 100 senators.
However, it will then have to return to the House of Representatives, which rejected the first version of the $700bn rescue plan on Monday.
The BBC's Jonathan Beale, in Washington, says a positive vote in the Senate is likely to give the bill momentum when it goes back to the House.
Wall Street's main Dow Jones index closed Tuesday up 4.7%, recouping some of the losses seen in Monday's record one-day points fall.
(BBC)
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