Investing.com - Asian Pacific shares opened on a higher note on Thursday, influenced by the climb of U.S. stocks across all major benchmarks.
By 11:20 am AEDT (12:20 am GMT) the S&P/ASX 200 added 0.2%, the KOSPI 200 gained 0.5% and the Nikkei 225 lifted 0.7%.
U.S. stocks closed higher, with significant gains in the materials, real estate, and healthcare sectors. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 141 points, or 0.4%, to 38521. The S&P 500 increased by 0.2% to 4954, and the Nasdaq added 0.1% to 15609.
GE HealthCare (NASDAQ:GEHC) Technologies' shares surged 11% to lead S&P 500 gainers, posting better-than-expected 4Q profit and revenue. DuPont (NYSE:DD) shares jumped 7.4% after 4Q profit topped Wall Street expectations, and Spotify climbed 3.9% after narrowing its quarterly loss.
In the commodity markets, Brent crude oil experienced a 1.0% increase to US$79.34 a barrel, while gold dropped by 0.1% to US$2,034.23.
Chinese shares experienced a surge as investors appreciated Beijing's measures to boost the struggling equities market.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.3% to close at 16081.89 in a likely technical correction. Meanwhile, the Nikkei Stock Average in Japan closed 0.1% lower at 36119.92, while Indian shares edged slightly lower, reversing earlier gains.
European markets experienced a drop after M&A news and corporate updates failed to impress investors. The Stoxx Europe 600 fell 0.3%, the DAX retreated 0.7%, and the CAC 40 backtracked 0.4%.