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Asia stocks jumped on Thursday with household names such as Sony boosted by solid U.S.earnings reports. Exporters such as Canon also climbed after strong earnings from computer giant I.B.M. reassured investors that companies are still profitable despite a weakening economy. Top lender Mitsubishi UFJ and other banks also outperformed. U.S. banking giant JPMorgan Chase posted a 50 percent drop in corporate profits but was able to skirt the massive losses that have crippled many rivals. Toyota also rose even though a news report said the carmaker's annual profits are likely to fall by a quarter due to tough conditions for Japanese manufacturers. Australian gold firm BHP Billiton surged on strong gold and metal prices, with copper hitting a near all time high. The firm has also been buoyed by talk that China is planning to buy a more than 9 percent stake in Australia's largest gold firm. BHP denies any knowledge of such a move, while Australia's government is vowing to keep a close eye on the matter. Tara Joseph-Hui reporting for Reuters. COMPANIES MENTIONED: SYMBOLS: