Stock market today: Tokyo’s Nikkei leads Asian gains following Wall Street rally [Video]

HONG KONG – Asian shares rose on Wednesday, led by an 2% gain in Japan’s Nikkei 225 after U.S. stocks rallied for a second straight day Tuesday, blunting the blow from what’s been a rough April.

U.S. futures rose while oil prices edged lower.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped 2.1% in morning trading to 38,337.23, with the yen hovering at 34-year lows during the week.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index rose 0.3% to 7,705.70 following the release of a fifth consecutive quarter of decelerating inflation, with the consumer price index in the first quarter easing to 3.6% from previous 4.1%.

In South Korea, the Kospi added 1.9% to 2,672.87, led by a 3.8% gain in heavyweight Samsung Electronics.

The Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 1.3% to 17,053.06, while the Hang Seng Tech Index gained 2.7%. The Shanghai Composite index was up 0.2% at 3,026.88.

Elsewhere in Asia, Taiwan’s Taiex gained 2.3%.

On Tuesday, the S&P 500 climbed 1.2% to 5,070.55, pulling further out of the hole created …