Asian markets rallied out of the blocks Monday, with further signs of economic recovery continuing to resonate with investors more than a surge in coronavirus infections across the planet.

The easing of lockdowns is providing hope the global economy will bounce back from an expected recession this year, with England's pubs reopening at the weekend and tourist attractions around Europe either now open or planning to.

Better-than-forecast data on US jobs creation and factory activity have also provided a boost to confidence, as are hopes for a vaccine, which observers say is key to kickstarting any recovery.

Traders have piled back into stocks in a major way in recent months -- with the help of vast government and central bank support -- with analysts suggesting the gains are also being helped by a fear of missing out on the rally.

"The global economic data and positive coverage on potential COVID-19 vaccines and treatments represent a... whirligig of positive news that is overwhelming gnarly headline flows around the daily virus case counts in the US," said AxiCorp's Stephen Innes.

Shanghai led the gains, soaring more than five percent, while Hong Kong was up 3.8 percent to sit at highs not seen since early March.

Jeffrey Halley at OANDA said: "Hong Kong concerns are fading as fast as they began, as the new China-imposed security laws allow money to talk without the annoying interference of protestors."

But he added that the "story still has more to run in a geopolitical context," pointing out that Donald Trump was still to sign a bill censuring Chinese officials linked to the law, which would likely lead to retaliation by Beijing.

"The scale of those measures will dictate whether geopolitics will have more to say on global financial markets," he said in a note.

Tokyo piled on 1.8 percent, while Singapore, Seoul, Taipei and Mumbai were all more than one percent higher, with Wellington and Jakarta also up.

London, Paris and Frankfurt all soared almost two percent at the open.

- Curbs reimposed -

But there remains trepidation on trading floors as new infections spike around the world.

Some US states are reporting record daily increases, with a number of officials considering reimposing lockdown measures, while Brazil and India are also seeing worryingly large rises.

And Australia said it would effectively seal off the state of Victoria from the rest of the country as authorities struggle to control a surge in cases.

For the first time since the global pandemic began, the border between Australia's two most populous states -- Victoria and New South Wales -- will be shuttered, beginning midnight Tuesday, officials from both states said.

The outbreak sent Sydney falling 0.7 percent.

Spain, South Africa, Japan and the Philippines are among several other countries to seen an uptick in new virus cases.

"For now the positive data surprises and huge fiscal and monetary stimulus are the overwhelming forces," National Australia Bank's Rodrigo Catril said in a note.

"But the increase in COVID-19 infections, not just in the US, means that they need to be closely monitored -- the introduction of more severe containment measures has the potential to derail the positive vibes in markets."

Shane Oliver, at AMP Capital Investors, said the recovery would likely be slower than the "Deep V" rebound that many are hoping for.

"Trends in new coronavirus cases along with pressure on medical systems will continue to be watched closely, particularly in US states," he said.

- Key figures around 0720 GMT -

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.8 percent at 22,714.44 (close)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 3.8 percent at 26,325.59

Shanghai - Composite: UP 5.7 percent at 3,332.88 (close)

London - FTSE 100: UP 1.9 percent at 6,274.82

West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.1 percent at $40.60 per barrel

Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.0 percent at $43.21 per barrel

Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1300 from $1.1242 on Friday

Dollar/yen: UP at 107.62 yen from 107.52 yen

Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2501 from $1.2469

Euro/pound: UP at 90.40 pence from 90.16 pence

New York - Dow: Closed for a holiday

-- Bloomberg News contributed to this story --

dan/rma

AMP

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Most Asian markets up on economy hopes despite virus fears
Hong Kong (AFP) July 1, 2020
Markets mostly rose in Asia on Wednesday as investors looked past spiking virus infections and warnings of a US surge in the disease, with eyes on the economic recovery as countries press ahead with the easing of lockdowns. Traders took their lead from another rally on Wall Street, which was lifted by a forecast-beating jump in US consumer confidence, while eyes were also on the release later this week of key jobs data out of Washington. And while equities are considered unlikely to kick on unle ... read more