Asian shares rose on Monday with sentiment brightening at the start of the third quarter after Europe agreed to shore up the region’s banks, while investor attention is turning to the health of the U.S. economy. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan added 0.3 percent, after soaring 2.7 percent on Friday for its biggest one-day rise in more than six months. The MSCI Asia ex-Japan share index ended April-June down 7.4 percent, after rising for the previous two quarters. U.S. and European stocks rallied more than 2 percent on Friday. Japan’s Nikkei average opened up 1.1 percent, adding to Friday’s 1.5 percent gain when it rose above the key 9,000 level for the first time in 7 weeks.
