Tokyo's Nikkei 225 briefly broke 30,000 for the first time in five months on growing expectations for a fresh injection of stimulus after Japan's prime minister said he would step aside, paving the way for a new big-spending successor
Developing Asia's extreme poverty rate - or the proportion of its people living on less than $1.90 a day - would have fallen to 2.6% in 2020 from 5.2% in 2017 without COVID-19
Hong Kong sank one percent to extended Monday's drop of more than four percent after investors were spooked by Beijing's latest move to tighten its grip on the economy
The maker of the Philippines' best-selling instant noodle brand Lucky Me! opened down 0.15 percent at 13.48 pesos after being offered at 13.50 pesos in a floatation that raised 48.6 billion pesos.
On currency markets, the pound hit a more than three-year high as Britain's vaccine rollout continues and the country announced just one coronavirus-related death Monday, the lowest since the pandemic began.
Bitcoin was holding around $38,500 -- having almost fallen through $30,000 recently for the first time since January -- after Musk tweeted support for a group attempting to make the mining of the currency less environmentally damaging.
The digital unit was sent crashing to almost $30,000 at one point, less than half its record high reached last month, in reaction to Beijing's warning that it would not be allowed for transactions.
"Markets continue to view this progress favorably, with long-term interest rates remaining remarkably calm and the stock market, so far, avoiding any sharp correction."