Asia opens mixed but mostly higher

Asian stock indices opened the second session of the week mixed with Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea higher, while Chinese stocks lost ground, amid rising hopes for Covid 19 vaccines.

The hopes are overpowering current despair over the second coronavirus wave, which continues to hammer parts of the world during the winter. 

The General Services Administration in the US just announced Joe Biden's win in the 2020 presidential elections, succeeding Trump as the 46th president of the US. 

Biden intends to choose former Fed Chair Janet Yellen as his Treasury Secretary, becoming the first woman to do this role. 

The World Health Organization has so far reported 58.43 million global cases of Covid 19 with the death toll at 1.385 million.

Japan's TOPEX rose 2.22% to 1,765, while Nikkei 225 advanced 2.62% to 26,196. 

China's CSI 300 slipped 0.54%, while Shanghai declined 0.25% to 3,406. 

Hong Kong's Hang Seng inched down 0.03%, while South Korea's KOSPI climbed 0.82% to 2,623. 

New Zealand's NZX 50 rose 0.54%, while Australia's S&P/ASX 300 rallied 1.14% to 6,636.