Dec. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks rose, led by exporters such as Canon Inc. and Hyundai Motor Co., after U.S. economic reports on jobless claims and manufacturing eased concern that demand from the world's largest economy will slow.

``Any piece of positive news from the U.S. makes exporters look attractive,'' said Norihito Kanai, a Tokyo-based analyst at Meiji Dresdner Asset Management Co., which manages the equivalent of $2.5 billion including Toyota Motor Corp. shares.

Morgan Stanley Capital International's Asia-Pacific Index, which tracks more than 900 stocks, rose 0.7 percent to 97.01 at 1:48 p.m. in Tokyo. The index is set for a 3.7 percent jump this week, its biggest weekly gain since the five days to May 21.

Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average rose 1.7 percent to 11,107.71 and the Topix index added 1.1 percent. Both benchmarks are set for one-month highs. Nissan Motor Co. rose after an industry group said domestic vehicle sales may climb for a third year in 2005, helped by the release of new models.

Samsung Securities Co. advanced after the South Korean government announced plans yesterday to ease restrictions on the financial industry and increase the number of products brokerages can offer.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index climbed for a sixth day as local investors reduced holdings of News Corp.'s shares in favor of other domestic stocks, such as AMP Ltd. and Brambles Industries Ltd. Benchmarks in South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, India and Thailand also rose, while others in the region fell.

Exporters

Canon, the world's No. 2 seller of digital cameras, gained 0.6 percent to 5,430. Canon gets 70 percent of its revenue from overseas sales. Hyundai Motor, South Korea's largest carmaker, added 0.9 percent to 53,700 won. U.S. sales account for about a quarter of its total revenue.

Acer Inc., Taiwan's third-largest computer company, rose 1 percent to NT$51. Creative Technology Ltd., which makes digital music players, climbed 0.9 percent to S$23.30 in Singapore.

A U.S. government report showed the number of Americans filing first-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits last week fell to a five-month low. Meanwhile, a measure of manufacturing in the Philadelphia region exceeded forecasts as orders and shipments rose.

Toyota, Japan's largest automaker, climbed 1.5 percent to 4,060 yen. Nissan, Japan's second-biggest automaker, added 1.1 percent to 1,105 yen.

`Resilient'

Domestic sales of all types of cars, trucks, sport-utility vehicles, minicars and vans will probably rise 0.7 percent to 5.87 million vehicles in 2005 from an estimated 5.83 million this year, the Tokyo-based Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said in a statement yesterday.

``The market is resilient,'' said Shigeharu Shiraishi, who oversees the equivalent of $16 billion in assets as a managing director at Societe Generale Asset Management (Japan) Co. in Tokyo. ``You have so many reasons to buy, supported by strength in earnings.''

Samsung Securities, South Korea's largest brokerage by market capitalization, surged 12 percent to 21,450 won. LG Investment & Securities Co. added 5.4 percent to 7,880 won, while Daishin Securities Co. soared 8.3 percent to 13,650.

``Securities companies can only do brokerage and underwriting work and now they'll be able to have another business model,'' said Kevin Lee, who manages the equivalent $235 million at Dongwon Investment Trust Management Co. in Seoul. Lee said he may buy brokerage shares after reviewing the proposed regulatory changes further.

Elsewhere, TPV Technology rallied 6 percent to 97.50 cents. The world's second-largest maker of cathode-ray tube monitors agreed to buy Royal Philips Electronics NV's personal-computer monitor unit in a deal worth about $358 million, Philips said.

Philips will own 15 percent of Hong Kong-based TPV and may raise its stake to 30 percent.

Australia

AMP, Australia's biggest life insurer, added 1.3 percent to A$7.08. Brambles, the world's biggest supplier of storage palletts, gained 2.2 percent to A$6.94.

Between A$2 billion ($1.5 billion) and A$4 billion in cash could be reinvested in Australian equities as News Corp.'s representation in the benchmark is reduced by a quarter from the close of business today, said David Cassidy, an analyst at UBS AG. in Sydney.

News Corp. will be removed from the index in four stages over a nine-month period after shareholders voted in October to incorporate the world's fifth-biggest media company in the U.S. It will be added to the Standard & Poor's 500 Index in New York from close of business today.

``Some investors will have sold their News Corp. stock and will probably reinvest a lot of the cash straight back into other stocks,'' said Richard Wallace, who manages the equivalent of $102 million at Wallace Funds Management in Sydney.

To contact the reporter on this story: Neha Kumar in Tokyo at nkumar2@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: December 16, 2004 23:51 EST