Asian markets settled mostly higher on Thursday, despite Wall Street’s steep losses overnight as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell cautioned that trade tensions might undermine employment and price stability. Chinese shares gained after China said it is ready to restart trade talks with the Donald Trump administration, provided that certain key conditions are fulfilled. Among the primary demands, China has called for more respect, a consistent trade policy, and attention to its concerns on sanctions and Taiwan. Japanese shares improved after US Trump said negotiators made big progress in talks to strike a tariff deal with Japan, while a weak yen also supported sentiment. Seoul shares rose after South Korea's central bank kept its interest rate unchanged but hinted at possible cuts in May amid rising economic risks partly spurred by US tariffs.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 3,280.34 | 4.34 | 0.13 |
| Hang Seng | 21,395.14 | 338.16 | 1.58 |
| Jakarta Composite | 6,438.27 | 38.22 | 0.59 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,483.27 | 6.35 | 0.43 |
| Nikkei 225 | 34,377.60 | 457.20 | 1.33 |
| Straits Times | 3,720.33 | 57.88 | 1.56 |
| KOSPI Composite | 2,470.41 | 22.98 | 0.93 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 19,338.73 | -129.27 | -0.67 |
