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TOKYO – Asian stock markets were higher Monday as lackluster U.S. growth figures reinforced expectations the Federal Reserve will pump more money into the world's biggest economy.

American gross domestic product grew just 2 percent at an annualized pace in the three months through September, slightly faster than the previous quarter but not enough to bring down unemployment, which is hovering near 10 percent.

The weak showing underlined expectations that the Fed policy meeting ending Wednesday will announce a Treasury bond buying program, known as quantative easing, to inject more liquidity into the economy.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was up 1.8 percent at 23,520.75, South Korea's Kospi rose 1 percent to 1,901.81, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 1 percent to 4,701.50.

China's Shanghai Composite Index added 1.7 percent to 3,029.33.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average bucked the trend, falling 0.2 percent at 9,186.30.

Markets in Singapore, Taiwan and Indonesia were higher.

The Dow Jones industrial average on Friday rose 4.54, or 0.1 percent, to close at 11,118.49. The Standard and Poor's 500 Index fell 0.52, or 0.1 percent, to 1,183.26.

Despite the soft finishes, both U.S. indexes were up over 3 percent for the month.

In currencies, the dollar rose to 80.66 yen from 80.31 yen. The euro rose versus the dollar to $1.3981 from $1.3945.

Benchmark crude for December delivery was up 40 cents at $81.81 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 75 cents to settle at $81.43 on Friday.

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George Osborne comments increased speculation that the Bank of England will expand its current programme of ?200bn QE photo: EPA

"The country has required a decisive plan, we have established the decisive plan" George Osborne said Thursday.

"He has some built in caution, freedom for the Bank of England is clearly deploy tools of monetary policy."

His comments have increased speculation that decision-makers of the Bank will soon vote to expand the existing program of ￡ 200bn facilitate quantitative (ve) - buy gilts and corporate bonds and commercial paper with the newly created money.

At a given time, performance of two years gilt slipped to 0 56pc, lowest since Bloomberg launched in 1992, as the comments of Mr. Osborne records supported by demand of the public debt.

The pound sterling, not helped by dark sales figures retail lost 0.71 percent to euro p 88,81 closure.

Derek Halpenny, Bank of Tokyo - Mitsubishi UFJ, said that the key issue is that Bank of England policy Monetary Committee (PPC) seems moves the position of Adam Posen, increases the risk of QE more "much".

"The book will go down against most currencies at the present time," he said.

Minutes for October meeting spent this week revealed that Mr Posen claimed an additional $ 50 billion ￡ of EQ, having already supported the case for pumping more money into the economy.

Position he opposed his colleague harden Andrew Sentance, fears of inflation spiral and wants to increase interest rates.

Interviews given by other decision makers Bank Thursday revealed that EQ remains a very real possibility.

"The way we have set monetary policy has been extraordinarily expansionist and we still have these weapons if necessary," MPC Member David Miles said.

Even though he describes himself as "cautiously optimistic" that the recovery will continue, he warns: "there is still much uncertainty in the sector banking mondial.Il still has risks and things could worst."

Bank of England Chief Economist Spencer Dale said that it is essential to "stay alert" and be ready to go in both directions.

"There are factors of this recession we have never seen before and we have no idea how they can play", he said. "We must be ready to change our views as circumstances change.

"What we see on the PPC is that people reasonable differ on policy discussions are so finely équilibrées.Ma key, gut on interest rates is that I know what will happen, and anyone who believes that they know how, I would ignore their".

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