In today’s market report… Asian share markets rose broadly, as the Bank of Japan eased monetary policy. The government has been prodding the BOJ to act to prevent a further yen rise.

Ahead of the move, the Nikkei hit an eight-week high, led by exporters such as No. 3 Japanese carmaker Nissan.

Honda held steady, despite a U.S. recall of some 412,000 cars on braking safety concerns.

Across Asia, speculation Intel will release strong earnings boosted chip firms like Samsung Electronics and Hynix Semiconductor.

Korea Life, meanwhile, made a strong market debut after its $1.6 billion IPO, rising over 10 percent, as the most-heavily traded share in Seoul.

The Federal Reserve's pledge to keep interest rates low pressured the U.S. dollar, while lifting commodity-linked firms.