Significantly up in South Korea, KOSPI reaches record level

Several of the major indexes in Asia are rising this morning. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 is up 1.3 percent while the broader Topix is just above zero.

South Korea's Kospi is rising sharply and was up 5.0 percent at lunchtime. Electronics giant Samsung, among others, is climbing 7.1 percent after news of an averted strike.

In China, stock markets are mixed. Technology-rich Shenzhen is up about 0.2 percent, while Shanghai is down 0.7 percent.

The Hong Kong-based Hang Seng is also down 0.7 percent.