Asian shares mixed as earnings fuel gains on Wall Street

By ELAINE KURTENBACH
AP Business Writer

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares are mixed in Asia, with markets in China still closed for Lunar New Year holidays. Tokyo and Sydney declined, while Seoul gained more than 2% as markets there reopened. Shares rose on Wall Street Wednesday as the latest batch of company earnings reports kept investors in a buying mood. The S&P 500 rose 0.9% and the Nasdaq added 0.5%. The Dow industrials 0.6%. Google’s parent Alphabet rose 7.5% after it said its digital ad business propelled a 36% jump in profit last quarter. Major indexes are on track for solid gains this week, a welcome turnaround from January’s losses.