Global shares traded mostly higher on Thursday, tracking gains from Wall Street as investors shrugged off a week of trade turmoil and disappointing U.S. tech earnings. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index rose 1.23% to close at 8,520.7. Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 0.61% to close at 39,066.53, while the Topix added 0.25% to finish at 2,742.2. South Korea’s KOSPI gained 1.1% to end at 2,536.75, and the small-cap Kosdaq advanced 1.28% to close at 740.32. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index increased by 1.04% in its last hour of trade.
Mainland China’s CSI 300 grew by 1.26% to end the day at 3,842.83. India’s benchmark Sensex was down 0.48%, while the BSE Sensex fell 0.43%. India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India, is expected to cut benchmark interest rates in its policy meeting, which is currently underway, in an effort to stimulate its faltering economy.
The decision will be announced on Friday. Overnight in the U.S., the three major indexes posted gains for the second consecutive day, even as notable technology stocks experienced steep losses following earnings reports.
Global shares follow Wall Street gains
The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 317.24 points, or 0.71%, to 44,873.28. Gains in the NASDAQ-100 were led by a sharp advance in Nvidia, which provided some support despite broader tech weakness. The S&P 500 rose 0.39% to end at 6,061.48, and the NASDAQ Composite added 0.19%, closing at 19,692.33.
In corporate news, Super Micro jumped more than 5% after announcing its launch of an artificial intelligence data center using Nvidia’s Blackwell platform. Super Micro shares rose approximately 8% following the announcement. In other developments, Nissan’s CEO Makoto Uchida reportedly told Honda Chief Toshihiro Mibe to terminate their merger talks, according to Asahi.
Both companies are expected to hold board meetings to discuss this termination. Honda had reportedly proposed making Nissan a subsidiary, an idea opposed by Nissan. Additionally, Bank of Japan board member Naoki Tamura stated that it is “necessary” for the central bank to lift short-term interest rates to around 1% to contain inflation risks and achieve its price stability target sustainably.
