Asia-Pacific markets rose Thursday, breaking ranks with Wall Street which declined sharply after U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell cautioned that ongoing trade tensions could challenge the central bank’s goals of controlling inflation and spurring growth.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 recovered 457.2 points, or 1.4%, to 34,377.60.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng climbed 338.16 points, or 1.6%, to 21,395.14.
Korean stocks recovered strength after the central bank held interest rates at 2.75%, as expected by economists polled by Reuters.
In other markets
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 dipped 0.6 points, or 0.2%, to 3,772.22.
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index gained 57.88 points, or 1.6%, to 3,720.83
In Korea, the Kospi restored 22.98 points, or 0.9%, to 2,470.71
In Taiwan, the Taiex weakened 129.27 points, or 0.7%, to 19,338.73
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 tacked on 51.07 points, or 0.4%, to 12,118.99
In Australia, the ASX 200 regained 60.23 points, or 0.8%, to 7,819.14.