Asia-Pacific markets track Wall Street gains on potential Fed rate...

Asia-Pacific rose Monday, tracking Wall Street gains after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled that the central bank could begin easing monetary policy next month in his widely anticipated annual speech in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Japan's Nikkei 225 benchmark rose 1.08%, while the broader Topix index added 0.53%. In South Korea, the Kospi index increased by 0.75%, while the small-cap Kosdaq advanced 1.71%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 benchmark climbed 0.87%. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 25,722, pointing to a stronger open compared with the HSI's last close of 25,339.14. Elsewhere in Asia-Pacific, market watchers are awaiting Singapore's consumer price index reading for July. Economists polled by Reuters expect a 0.6% year-over-year rise, consistent with the month before.