1.   Buying back shares boosts earnings per share by cutting the amount of outstanding stock.

2.   Brokers said share prices were boosted by buying in red chips, stocks listed in Hong Kong but controlled by mainland Chinese companies.

3.   In Taiwan, share prices closed sharply higher on bargain-hunting, with brokers saying the market was boosted by buying by foreign institutions.

4.   Indonesian share closed sharply higher in thin trading, boosted by buying in selected big-capitalization stocks.

5.   Stocks were boosted by buying of bank shares, which have been battered in recent trading.

6.   The U.S. dollar rose against the yen Thursday, boosted by buying from Japanese institutional investors.

7.   Tokyo stocks were boosted by buying from foreign investors, said Kunihiro Hatae, general manager of the stock division at Tokyo Securities.

8.   Tokyo stock prices closed at their highest level for the year for the second straight session Monday, boosted by buying from foreign investors.

9.   Analysts said the greenback was boosted by buying by US investment funds.