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·       Asian shares edged up on Thursday as stimulus expectations and a rise in the yuan helped Chinese equities erase early losses, while markets awaited more news on U.S.-China trade talks amid hopes that an all-out trade war can be averted.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.3 percent, hovering at a near four-week high.

Chinese shares recouped earlier losses as weak inflation data raised the prospect of further government stimulus.

The yuan strengthened, breaching the key 6.8 per dollar level for the first time since August in both onshore and offshore trade, further boosting appetite for riskier assets.

·       Asian stock markets have halted this week's rally on bad China data, with a dovish FOMC pushing equity markets back off of their bullish stances. US-China trade talks finished up with little concrete details on the offering, and investors' hopes of progress have given little return.

·       Japan’s Nikkei dropped on Thursday as gains in the yen prompted investors to take profits following a strong rally.

After rising 4.37 percent in the last three days, the Nikkei share average ended 1.3 percent lower at 20,163.80.

The Nikkei has rebounded from a low of 18,948.58 hit on Dec. 26, its lowest since April 2017, but its upside remains limited, analysts said.

“The market condition hasn’t changed fundamentally since then and investors are still on edge amid global concerns,” said Hiroyuki Ueno, senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management.

·       Chinese shares shed earlier gains to end lower on Thursday as worries about sluggish economic growth sunk in, while the excitement over the U.S.-China trade negotiations and policy support faded.

The Shanghai Composite index closed 0.4 percent weaker at 2,535.10 points, while the blue-chip CSI300 index was down by 0.2 percent.

China's producer prices in December rose at their slowest pace since September 2016 as factories confront a slowdown in demand even as Beijing steps up policy support to bolster the economy.