Most key Asian markets posted good gains, today. China's Shanghai Composite index zoomed 4.9 percent as signs of fresh support from Beijing prompted more bargain hunting. China's authorities said that pension funds managed by China's local governments will start investing 313 billion dollars as soon as possible in stocks and other assets. The central bank was also seen intervening for a second day to stabilize the yuan currency to reduce market expectations of further yuan depreciation. Also, China's securities regulator said after trading hours today that it would tighten margin requirements further for stock index trading, in a bid to curb excessive speculation.Japan's Nikkei 225 index surged 3 percent; South Korea's Kospi gained 1.6 percent; and Singapore's Straits Times index advanced 0.4 percent. But Hong Kong's Hang Seng declined 1 percent. In economic data, Japan's core consumer price index was unchanged in July, compared to a year earlier, after a modest 0.1% increase in June. Core inflation has softened, driven lower by drops in global oil prices and Japan's sluggish domestic demand. In the European markets, the UK'S FTSE-100 had gained 0.1 percent, but France's CAC-40 had lost 0.3 percent, and Germany's DAX had dropped 0.5 percent in intra-day trade.