BEIJING, Oct. 17 -- Asian stocks rose to a six-week high, led by exporters such as Sony Corp and LG.Philips LCD Co after U.S. consumer confidence and spending reports eased concern demand is cooling in the region's biggest export market.

    "A better outlook for the U.S. economy is encouraging investors to buy shares of exporters, especially technology-related stocks," said Haruo Otsuka, who oversees about 870 million U.S. dollars at Toyota Asset Management Co in Tokyo.

    Samsung Electronics Co jumped after reporting third-quarter profit that beat analysts' estimates. BHP Billiton and Jiangxi Copper Co paced gains among raw-materials producers after nickel and zinc prices rose, Bloomberg News reported.

    The Morgan Stanley Capital International Asia-Pacific Index added 1.1 percent to 131.10 at 6:30 p.m. in Tokyo, heading for its highest close since Sep. 5.

    Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average advanced 0.9 percent to 16,692.80. Japanese exporters including Honda Motor Co also gained after the dollar climbed for a third straight week against the yen, boosting the value of their U.S. sales.

    Singapore's Straits Times Index closed at a record for a second day. All other regional benchmarks rose, except those in Chinese mainland, Indonesia and Pakistan.

    Oil producers including Cnooc Ltd and Inpex Holdings Inc advanced as the price of crude rose for a third day.

    U.S. shares rose in New York on October 13, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a record as reports suggested the world's biggest economy will withstand a housing slump, helping sustain demand for Asia's exports.

    Japan's Sony, the world's second-biggest consumer electronics maker, climbed 2.5 percent to 4,880 yen (40.93 dollars). Sony generated about 29 percent of total sales last year in the U.S., its largest overseas market. South Korea's LG.Philips, the world's No. 2 maker of liquid-crystal displays, gained 3.5 percent to 29,800 won (31.19 dollars).

    U.S. consumer confidence rose to 92.3 this month, the highest since July 2005, according to the University of Michigan's preliminary index of consumer sentiment. Purchases other than gasoline increased 0.6 percent from August, a government report showed.

    Samsung Electronics, South Korea's biggest exporter, rose 0.9 percent to 650,000 won. Third-quarter profit climbed 16 percent from a year earlier to 2.19 trillion won, exceeding the median 1.9 trillion won forecast of 17 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News.

    (Source: Shanghai Daily)