Asian markets rise as coronavirus concerns ease

Markets in Asia-Pacific rose on Wednesday following another positive lead from Wall Street with investor sentiment mixed about the immediate and long-term impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

The virus, officially named COVID-19 on Tuesday, has spooked markets around the world, having killed more than 1,100 people and infected tens of thousands since it emerged in central China at the end of last year.

Tokyo rose 0.5%, Hong Kong put on 0.7%, Sydney gained 0.6% and Singapore climbed 0.7%.

Shanghai, Wellington and Taipei were also up.

The largely positive morning following fresh record closes by the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq in New York on Tuesday.

Traders reacted positively to cautious comments from the US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on the coronavirus -- which has spread to more than two dozen countries and has been declared a global health emergency.

The Fed boss told Congress members on Tuesday that the central bank was closely monitoring the virus and that its impact could spill over to the world economy, but the assessment was not as gloomy as many had expected.

China, the world's second-largest economy, is looking to recover momentum after authorities extended the Lunar New Year break in a bid to stop the spread of the virus.

Many countries have imposed travel bans and quarantine requirements, and major carriers have suspended or dramatically cut back on flights to and from mainland China.

A number of companies expected to be hurt by the coronavirus are scheduled to release their results this week, including Chinese e-commerce titan Alibaba and Japanese auto maker Nissan.