Asian equity benchmarks are trading up in the early deals on Thursday, following the positive lead overnight from Wall Street and the rebound in crude oil prices to an almost five-month high. Japanese stocks edged higher after the yen resumed a weakening trend against the US dollar amid a bounce in oil prices and growing expectations of further easing from the Bank of Japan. Meanwhile, China shares rose despite a tug-of-war between rising spirits over fresh liquidity and disappointment over a signal that authorities could pull back from monetary stimulus.
Nikkei 225 gained 445.34 points or 2.63% to 17,351.88, Hang Seng surged 381.19 points or 1.79% to 21,617.50, KOSPI Index rose 13.20 points or 0.66% to 2,019.03, Straits Times added 4.87 points or 0.17% to 2,954.82, Jakarta Composite increased 23.81 points or 0.49% to 4,900.41, FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI jumped 6.08 points or 0.36% to 1,714.99, Taiwan Weighted spurt 27.03 points or 0.32% to 8,541.51, and Shanghai Composite was up by 12.54 points or 0.42% to 2,985.12.