Japan led the advance in Asia markets, extending its record-breaking rally ahead of U.S. inflation data for December, while South Korea stocks clung on to gains after the Bank of Korea held interest rates.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 popped 1.92% to hold above the 35,000 mark for the first time since February 1990. The Topix also gained 1.81% to hit fresh 33-year highs.
South Korea’s Kospi inched up 0.17%, while the small cap Kosdaq rose 0.47%.
The Bank of Korea left its main lending rate unchanged at 3.50% for the eightth time in a row, in line with expectations of economists polled by Reuters.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index opened 0.46% higher, while China’s CSI 300 index rose 0.1%.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.5% to close at 7,506, rebounding from Wednesday’s losses.
Overnight in the U.S., all three major indexes gained, with traders awaiting the release of fresh U.S. inflation data and earnings.
Investors will also be looking out for the U.S. consumer price index report slated for release Thursday. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect the CPI to have risen 3.2% year over year in December. The producer price index reading is due on Friday.
The S&P 500 gained 0.57%, while the Dow Jones industrial Average added 0.45% Wednesday. The tech heavy Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.75% to settle at 14,969.65.
— CNBC’s Sarah Min and Alex Harring contributed to this report
Read the full article here
