Asia Stocks Climb for Third Day as Bernanke Says U.S. Recovering

Asian stocks advanced for a third day after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said the U.S. economic recovery will accelerate and the central bank has more means to prop up growth if appropriate.

James Hardie Industries SE, a building materials supplier which gets about 68 percent of sales from the U.S., gained 2.8 percent in Sydney. BHP Billiton Ltd., the world’s largest mining company, rose 1.3 percent after a gauge of metal prices in London increased. China Shenhua Energy Co., a unit of the country’s largest coal producer, advanced 3.7 percent in Hong Kong after reporting higher first profit.