China’s home prices continued to fall in November BloombergAsian stocks mostly rose Thursday.Stocks in Japan jumped Thursday, leading most of Asia higher, after signals that the U.S. isn’t in a hurry to raise interest rates encouraged investors to take on more risk. The Nikkei Stock Average NIK, +2.32% surged 2.5% while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200XJO, +0.95% gained 1.5% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng HSI, +1.09% was up 1.0%. The gains tracked a stock rally Wednesday in the U.S., where the Federal Reserve pledged to keep interest rates low for a “considerable time.” The indication by the U.S. central bank was a relief for Asia, after an emerging-market selloff earlier in the week had investors fleeing the rupee, rupiah, and stocks and bonds in pockets of southeast Asia. A longer timeline for rate increases implies that stocks will continue to be more appealing to investors, including those in riskier emerging markets, compared with the low returns on U.S. bonds. Still, the U.S. dollar rose as Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen tempered the message, saying “no meeting is off the table” as an option for when to raise rates. The greenback USDJPY, -0.16% was at ¥118.59, from ¥117.67 before the Fed meeting’s conclusion on Wednesday. A stronger greenback is often beneficial for Japanese exporters which receive dollars abroad. The Shanghai Composite Index SHCOMP, -0.11% was off 0.2%, after data showed the decline in Chinese home prices hasn’t run its course. The average price of new homes in 70 Chinese cities continued to fall in November, albeit at a slower pace. The Shanghai market is moderating after a strong run that put stocks up 4.3% in the first three sessions of the week. Elsewhere in the region, Korea’s Kospi SEU, -0.14% was down 0.4%. marketwatch