Asian markets settled mostly higher on Thursday, with South Korea’s Kospi surging 5.89% after the retreat in long-term US Treasury yields. This followed the US Treasury’s announcement that it would significantly increase debt buybacks, which eased concerns over rising borrowing costs that had weighed heavily on global equities. Japan’s 10-year government bond yield also eased after hitting a 30-year high earlier this week. Chinese shares gained as the People's Bank of China (PBoC) left its benchmark lending rates unchanged for the 15th straight month in August on Thursday, in line with market expectations. Investors shifted their focus on the National People's Congress Standing Committee meeting in Beijing on August 25-28 for further policy signals.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 3,903.72 | 9.30 | 0.24 |
| Hang Seng | 25,698.49 | 203.42 | 0.80 |
| Jakarta Composite | 6,501.58 | 107.45 | 1.65 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,736.71 | 5.39 | 0.31 |
| Nikkei 225 | 66,216.79 | 890.37 | 1.36 |
| Straits Times | 5,671.91 | -22.33 | -0.39 |
| KOSPI Composite | 6,852.58 | 381.41 | 5.89 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 44,933.74 | 214.39 | 0.48 |
