Asia Higher, Dollar Supported by Rate Hike Bets

Asian shares rose on Thursday as investors were encouraged by President Donald Trump’s less combative tone in his first speech to Congress, which sent Wall Street stocks sharply higher, while growing bets on a U.S. rate hike this month buoyed the dollar. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.7 percent, led by rebounds in Australian and Hong Kong shares.