Stocks from the United States to Japan have risen sharply amid hopes that an end to the longest US government shutdown in history is imminent. US lawmakers on Sunday moved to end a five-week impasse over government funding, a boost for investors unnerved by signs of growing weakness in the US economy and the sky-high evaluations of firms involved in artificial intelligence. The funding package still needs to win final approval in the Senate and then pass the US House of Representatives, after which it would go to US President Donald Trump for his signature - a process expected to take days. Stock markets in the Asia Pacific made large gains on Monday, while futures in the US also rose in advance of stock exchanges reopening. South Korea's benchmark KOSPI led the gains, rising about 3 percent as of 4pm local time (07:00 GMT).