Asian equity markets ended mostly higher on Thursday, despite a poor lead from Wall Street after the Federal Reserve warned of slowing growth. Hong Kong shares closed higher after the People's Bank of China pumped the largest amount of cash into the financial system in nearly three years in a bid to prevent a possible cash crunch ahead of the week-long Lunar New Year starting on February 8. However, China stocks slumped again to a fresh one-year low as panic selling resumed. Japanese stocks fell in choppy trade, with volatility in oil prices and fears of a global slowdown continuing to hurt sentiment, while cautious investors looked forward to the conclusion of the Bank of Japan's policy meeting on Friday.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 2,655.66 | -79.90 | -2.92 |
| Hang Seng | 19,195.83 | 143.38 | 0.75 |
| Jakarta Composite | 4,602.83 | 19.20 | 0.42 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,634.53 | 2.99 | 0.18 |
| Nikkei 225 | 17,041.45 | -122.47 | -0.71 |
| Straits Times | 2,562.45 | 16.27 | 0.64 |
| KOSPI Composite | 1,906.94 | 9.07 | 0.48 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 7,905.10 | 55.27 | 0.70 |