Stocks in Asia were mostly higher on Thursday as investors digested recent developments on U.S.-China trade.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 restored 164.86 points, or 0.7%, to 23,300.09, as shares of robot maker Fanuc jumped nearly 2%.
The Japanese yen traded at 108.81 against the U.S. dollar after weakening from levels below 108.5 yesterday.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index recovered 154.48 points, or 0.6%, to 26,217.04
Australian markets increased. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics released Thursday showed retail sales in the country were largely flat from the previous month on a seasonally adjusted basis. That was below expectations for a 0.3% increase.
The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.684 after bouncing from lows around $0.681 in the previous session.
CHINA
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 regained 29.54 points, or 0.8%, to 3,879.36
Investor reacted to overnight developments on U.S.-China trade, after a news report from Bloomberg said Washington and Beijing were edging closer to a trade deal.
The Bloomberg report, which cited people familiar with the talks, said the two countries were moving closer to agreeing on the amount of tariffs that would be rolled back in a so-called phase-one trade deal. U.S. President Donald Trump also said Wednesday that trade talks with China were going well.
In other markets
In Taiwan, the Taiex hiked 84.18 points, or 0.7%, to 11,594.65
In Korea, the Kospi dipped 8.15 points, or 0.4%, to 2,060.74
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index restocked 14.4 points, or 0.5%, to 3,174.19
In New Zealand, the NZX moved once again higher 47.92 points, or 0.4%, to 11,257.79
In Australia, the ASX 200 reacquired 76.44 points, or 1.1%, to 6,682.95