Asian stocks rise for eighth day on strong PMIs, Wall Street gains

By Saikat Chatterjee HONG KONG (Reuters) - Asian stocks rose for an eighth consecutive day on Thursday, buoyed by further gains on Wall Street and an overnight bounce in oil prices that bolstered energy shares. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific stocks outside Japan rose 0.6 percent in early trade, extending a rally that has seen it gain nearly 2 percent in the opening days of 2017. Australia and Hong Kong led gains, while Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.3 percent as the yen edged up on the dollar.