Asian stocks follow Wall St up on hopes of rate hikes easing

Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index rose for a third day after bond prices rose. Nikkei 225 in Tokyo jumped 2.4% to 15,531.83 ahead of the expected release of a stimulus package this week. Sydney’s S-P-ASX 200 rose 0.1% to 6,807 after the government reported Australian inflation rose to 7.3% in the three months ending in September. New British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, warned of a “profound economic crisis,” but his arrival appeared to reassure rattled markets. Oil prices declined as benchmark U.S. crude lost 41 cents to $84.91 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. . . .