ASIAN stocks advanced yesterday, lifting the region's benchmark near a four-month high, after copper and crude prices rose and the United States lost fewer jobs than forecast.

Bloomberg News reported that BHP Billiton Ltd, the world's largest mining company and Australia's biggest oil producer, and Rio Tinto Group both climbed in Sydney trading.

STX Pan Ocean Co led shipping stocks higher after the price of transporting bulk commodities jumped to the highest in almost five months. Angang Steel Co increased to a two-month high in Hong Kong after the Financial Times said ArcelorMittal wanted to buy a stake in the Chinese steel maker.

"It provides a positive undertone for commodities if the US isn't going to crash and burn; it helps the China story," said Hans Kunnen, head of investment market research in Sydney at Colonial First State Global Management, which holds US$128 billion of assets. The US data "may have boosted BHP and Rio."

The MSCI Asia Pacific excluding Japan Index advanced 0.1 percent to 498.44 in Hong Kong, its highest since January 15.

Markets in Japan, South Korea and Thailand were shut for holidays.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index added 0.5 percent in Australia, where the value of shares traded was 35 percent less than the daily average this year. Benchmarks open for trading elsewhere gained, except in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Technology shares fell after brokerages cut their ratings on Foxconn Technology Co, a maker of metal casings for Apple Inc's phones and notebooks, and Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp, a subsidiary of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.