Japan’s Nikkei 225 hit an all-time high Thursday amid a broader rally in Asia markets, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street, as hopes of a U.S.-Iran deal rose
Japan’s Nikkei 225 popped 1,384.10 points, or 2.4%, to close Thursday at 58,518.34, boosted by technology and consumer cyclical stocks.
Daikin Industries was the top performer, after activist investor Elliott Investment Management pushed the company to improve performance and narrow its valuation gap with peers.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng took on 446.94 points, or 1.7%, to 26,394.26.
A White House official told media outlets on Tuesday that a second round of negotiations between Washington and Iran is under discussion. According to the official, who asked not to be named to discuss the administration’s plans, said nothing has been officially scheduled yet.
Oil prices were higher in Thursday trade. The West Texas Intermediate gained 0.87% at $92.07 per barrel as of 3:45 a.m. ET. International benchmark Brent crude rose 0.95% to $95.81 per barrel.
Labour data released Thursday showed that Australian employment rose 1.4% in March from a year ago, while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%.
CHINA
The CSI 300 index in Shanghai recovered 51.36 points, or 1.1%, to 4,736.61.
China’s economy accelerated in the first quarter, supported by robust export growth, which helped offset tepid domestic demand, even as the growth outlook was clouded by the Iran war-fueled energy shock threatening global demand.
Gross domestic product grew 5% in the three months to March, data from the National Statistics Bureau showed Thursday, accelerating from 4.5% in the prior quarter and exceeding economists’ forecast for a 4.8% growth in a Reuters poll.
In other markets
In Taiwan, the Taiex advanced 409.88 points, or 1.1%, to 37,132.02.
South Korea’s Kospi gained 134.66 points, or 2.2%, to 6,226.05
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index subtracted 13.37 points, or 0.3%, to 5,007.83.
In Australia, the AZX 200 lost 23.67 points, or 0.3%, to 8,953.02.
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 docked 10.52 points, or 0.1%, to 13,066.06.
