Most Asian equity markets rose, today, with gains for Chinese banks working to offset losses connected to weak results from US aluminum giant, Alcoa, and a snag for Europe's bailout-fund expansion. So Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 1%; China's Shanghai Composite index surged 3%; South Korea's Kospi rose 0.8%; and Singapore's Strait Times index advanced 1.7%. But Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell 0.4%;European markets also gained. Key benchmark indices in the UK, Germany and France were up by between 0.6% to 1.6% in intra-day trade today. Slovakia's parliament, yesterday, rejected plans to expand the European Financial Stability Facility. But a deal to expand the rescue fund is still expected to be reached this week, as the major opposition party is likely to support the proposals in a second vote.