Asian shares boosted by Thanksgiving Monday 03.15 GMT. Most Asian shares rose as higher US consumer spending during the Thanksgiving weekend increased confidence about the US economic recovery, while the weaker yen continued to boost Japanese exporters. The MSCI Asia Pacific index gained 0.5 per cent with Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average jumping 1 per cent, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 inching up 0.1 per cent and South Korea's Kospi Composite index slipping 0.1 per cent. Risk appetite increased after US consumer spending jumped 13 per cent to $59.1bn during the four-day Thanksgiving weekend while Germany's Ifo business climate index rose for the first time in seven months in November. Investors are also hopeful that European finance ministers will reach an agreement to disburse another tranche of financial aid for debt-stricken Greece at a meeting later in the day. Japanese stocks continued to outperform the regional markets as the yen fell to a seven-month low against the US dollar. Toyota Motor jumped 3 per cent and Mazda Motor advanced 2.3 per cent while Nikon gained 2.3 per cent and Canon shot up by 3 per cent. Resource companies gained ground on increasing signs of the global economic recovery with Fortescue Metals Group up 2.5 per cent, BHP Billiton adding 0.6 per cent and Rio Tinto 0.5 per cent higher in Sydney. In Seoul, Samsung Electronics weighed on the market, falling 1.3 per cent on profit-taking after rising for the past five sessions, as Apple sought to add six more Samsung products to its patent infringement claims against the South Korean rival. Anti-virus software maker Ahn Lab was limit-down by 15 per cent after its founder Ahn Cheol-soo withdrew from the presidential race. But Kangwon Land climbed 8.3 per cent after the government approved an expansion plan for the casino and hotel operator. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was little changed but energy shares were hit by a sell-off with China Petroleum & Chemical Corp down 1.6 per cent, and China Shenhua Energy shedding 1.3 per cent. The Shanghai Composite index lost 0.2 per cent. In currency markets, the yen weakened to Y82.45 per dollar from Y82.39 in New York late Friday while it was trading at Y106.83 per euro after falling to a seven-month low below Y107.00 in early trading. In commodities markets, spot gold eased 0.1 per cent to $1,749.98 an ounce while US crude fell 0.2 per cent to $88.07 a barrel.