Asian stocks gain ahead of Greek elections

Asian markets advanced on Friday, as investors expected policy easing before the upcoming election in Greece. The Hang Seng Index inched higher 1.3 per cent and the Shanghai Composite index jumped 0.2 per cent. Australia's Standard & Poor/ASX 200 index and Japan's Nikkei Stock Average climbed 0.3 per cent and 0.2 per cent respectively.