Asian markets trade mostly higher in early deals on Thursday

Most of the Asian equity benchmarks are trading up in the early deals on Thursday as investors went bargain hunting, shrugging off the weak cues overnight from Wall Street as well as European markets and the relentless slump in oil prices. China shares made mild gains as authorities moved to inject liquidity into the financial system, helping a regional market recovery take shape. Meanwhile, the Japanese market is notably higher, with a weaker yen boosting exporters' stocks. Expectations of further stimulus from the Bank of Japan next week also lifted investor sentiment. Among the other Asian markets, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia, and Taiwan are up with modest gains. Bucking the trend, Singapore, and Malaysia are marginally lower.

Nikkei 225 added 107.25 points or 0.65% to 16,523.44, Hang Seng spurt 59.30 points or 0.31% to 18,945.60, Taiwan Weighted surged 3.30 points or 0.04% to 7,702.42, KOSPI Index strengthen 5.14 points or 0.28% to 1,850.59, Shanghai Composite increased 15.09 points or 0.51% to 2,991.78, and Jakarta Composite was up by 14.12 points or 0.32% to 4,442.11.

On the flip side, Straits Times declined 7.32 points or 0.29% to 2,552.45, and FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI was down by 5.11 points or 0.32% to 1,613.72.