• Asian stocks erased early losses and edged higher on Thursday as steadying commodity prices, especially crude oil, prompted some bargain hunting by investors.
But markets cautiously stuck to well-worn trading ranges ahead of global risk events such as the first-round of French presidential elections at the weekend and continued tensions over North Korea.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS rose 0.3 percent after declining 0.5 percent in early trades. Gains in Chinese and Japanese stocks pulled the broader market higher.
• Japanese stocks rose on Thursday morning as the yen's strong trend paused and the country's strong trade data lifted sentiment, but mining shares underperformed on the back of a steep decline oil prices.
The Nikkei 225 share average rose 0.3 percent to 18,484.46 in midmorning trade.
• China's main indexes fell for their fourth straight session on Wednesday, as investor worries deepened that tighter regulations against speculation and shadow banking will hurt the country's credit-fuelled recovery.
The blue-chip CSI300 index fell 0.5 percent to 3,445.88 points, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.8 percent to 3,170.69 points.
• Chinese online major Tencent Holdings rallied to an all-time high on Thursday, helping to lift Hong Kong stocks during the morning session.
The Hang Seng Index rose 0.4 per cent or 95.51 points to 23,921.39 by the luncheon break, rebounding from a one-month closing low in the previous session. Ahead of Thursday’s action, the blue chip index had declined for three straight sessions.
The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, known as the H-share index, inched up 0.1 per cent or 6.24 points to 9,989.97.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC, SCMP
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