Asian stock markets advanced on Thursday. The upbeat performance followed after crude prices recovered from underperformance and as the U.S. government pledged to provide more stimulus to nurse the virus-beaten economy.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan soared by 0.5% at 460.43 points, regaining momentum after a two-week low.
Australian S&P/ASX increased 0.4% while the blue-chip index inched up by 0.3%. The Japanese benchmark Nikkei recorded a 0.8% increase.
Asian markets’ active trading session followed Wall Street’s positive finish as the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq hiked 2%, 2.3%, and 2.8% respectively. Better-than-expected U.S. corporate gains also supported equities. However, market sentiment remained weak as the virus outbreak posed a sharp economic contraction.