Asia markets carve out slight gains as the dollar languishes

Asian markets carved out slight gains, tracking increases seen on Wall Street
Major Australian miners recorded solid gains, leading the Sydney index higher
The dollar remained on the back foot after tumbling to a more than three-month low against a basket of six currencies
A high-profile proposed merger between U.S.-based MoneyGram International and Alibaba affiliate Ant Financial has fallen through

Asian stocks closed with moderate gains on Wednesday, tracking sizable increases seen on Wall Street overnight as the dollar traded near three-month lows.

South Korea's benchmark Kospi index edged up 0.27 percent to close at 2,486.35 as large cap technology names extended the moderate gains seen last session. Heavyweights Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix closed up 1.18 percent and 1.44 percent, respectively.

Steel plays were also higher, with blue-chip Posco jumping 5.46 percent and Hyundai Steel rising 2.62 percent by the end of the session.

Hyundai Heavy Industries soared 8.84 percent after the South Korean shipbuilder announced it was aiming for 7.99 trillion won ($7.52 billion) in sales this year, Reuters said. Hyundai Heavy shares had plunged last week when it unveiled plans to list its Hyundai Oilbank subsidiary. Shares of other shipbuilders also jumped, with Daewoo Shipbuilding rising 12.05 percent on the day.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

READ FULL AT https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/02/asia-markets-dollar-oil-and-ant-financial-in-focus.html