Asian markets ended mostly higher on Thursday, with positive overnight cues from Wall Street and gains in oil prices in Asian deals underpinning investor sentiment. Japanese stocks rose to 3-1/2 week highs as risk appetite improved following the release of upbeat data on US jobs and a rally in oil and other commodities, which burnished sentiment globally. Chinese shares ended higher as investors waited for the start of the National People’s Congress, an annual legislative session that begins on Saturday. Policy makers there are expected to map out plans to stimulate the slowing economy. Investors shrugged off mixed data from Caixin, which showed that China's service sector growth slowed in February on weaker demand. The yuan firmed against the dollar after hitting a near three-week low the previous day as Moody's Investors Service lowered the outlook on China's government credit ratings.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 2,859.76 | 10.08 | 0.35 |
| Hang Seng | 19,941.76 | -61.73 | -0.31 |
| Jakarta Composite | 4,844.04 | 7.84 | 0.16 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,688.20 | -2.83 | -0.17 |
| Nikkei 225 | 16,960.16 | 213.61 | 1.28 |
| Straits Times | 2,787.62 | 60.66 | 2.22 |
| KOSPI Composite | 1,958.17 | 10.75 | 0.55 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 8,611.79 | 67.74 | 0.79 |