Asian markets settled mostly higher on Thursday tracking Wall Street gains overnight and US Treasury yields dipped on easing inflation concerns, while a larger-than-expected drop in US job openings for December renewed expectations for a favourable outlook on interest rates. Moreover, forecasts of high capital spending on artificial intelligence from Wall Street's biggest firms has also supported Asian market sentiments. Chinese ad Hong Kong shares gained on eased concerns over a potential global trade war after USPS has resumed accepting parcels from mainland China and Hong Kong following a brief suspension after US President Donald Trump changed the rules on import taxes. Japanese shares rose, even as the yen firmed on the back of bolstered expectations that the BoJ will continue to raise interest rates.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 3,270.66 | 41.17 | 1.26 |
| Hang Seng | 20,891.62 | 294.53 | 1.41 |
| Jakarta Composite | 6,875.54 | -148.69 | -2.16 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,585.17 | 10.66 | 0.68 |
| Nikkei 225 | 39,066.53 | 235.05 | 0.60 |
| Straits Times | 3,830.42 | 15.05 | 0.39 |
| KOSPI Composite | 2,536.75 | 27.48 | 1.08 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 23,316.60 | 155.02 | 0.66 |
