HONG KONG, May 27, 2009 (AFP) - Hong Kong led an Asian market surge Wednesday as investors welcomed a surprise set of data out of the United States that increased hopes for a rebound in the world's biggest economy.

Results of a survey in the US released Tuesday showed a consumer confidence index surged to 54.9 in May from 40.8 the month before.

TOKYO: Up 1.37 per cent. The Nikkei-225 climbed 127.96 points to 9,438.77.

HONG KONG: Up 5.26 per cent. The Hang Seng closed up 893.71 points at 17,885.27, its highest close in seven months.

SYDNEY: Up 0.34 per cent. The S&P/ASX 200 added 12.7 points to 3,801.1.

SHANGHAI: Up 1.71 per cent. The Shanghai Composite Index, which covers A and B shares, rose 44.35 points to 2,632.93.

TAIPEI: Up 3.10 per cent. The weighted index rose 207.33 points to 6,890.44.

SEOUL: Down 0.73 per cent. The KOSPI lost 10.02 points to 1,362.02, its lowest close since April 29.

SINGAPORE: Up 3.0 per cent. The Straits Times Index (STI) climbed 67.29 points to 2,306.08.

KUALA LUMPUR: Down 0.38 per cent. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index lost 3.95 points to 1,047.68.

BANGKOK: Up 2.34 per cent. The Stock Exchange of Thailand composite index rose 12.72 points to close at 555.41.

JAKARTA: Up 1.90 per cent. The Jakarta Composite Index rose 35.25 points to close at 1,892.84

MANILA: Up 2.02 per cent. The composite index rose 46.70 points to 2,356.38.

WELLINGTON: Up 1.31 per cent. The NZX-50 rose 35.71 points to 2,769.78.