Investing.com – Asian stocks were mixed on Thursday as a strong earnings report from Toyota boosted the Nikkei and fears over a slowdown in U.S. economic growth eased.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was down 0.16%; South Korea's Kospi Composite fell 0.3%; while Japan’s Nikkei jumped 1.73%.
The Nikkei's gains came after Toyota shares advanced 1.2% after the auto-maker revised up its full-year profit estimate by 10% and posted its highest quarterly net profit in two years.
Sentiment was also boosted as the yen eased from an 8-month high against the U.S. dollar after a flurry of better-than-expected U.S. data.
The move saw Japanese exporters advance, with Sony gaining 0.90% and Canon up 0.80%.
In the commodities sector, oil prices fell for a second straight day, moving toward USD 82 a barrel as the U.S. dollar strengthened.
Meanwhile, wheat traded close to a 22-month high at over USD 7 a bushel as Russian officials considered an export ban amid a prolonged drought in the Ukraine which has damaged crops.
The outlook for European equity markets, meanwhile, was optimistic: EURO STOXX 50 futures indicated a gain of 0.12%, France’s CAC 40 futures pointed to a gain of 0.10% and Germany's DAX futures indicated a rise of 0.04%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release key data on initial jobless claims.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was down 0.16%; South Korea's Kospi Composite fell 0.3%; while Japan’s Nikkei jumped 1.73%.
The Nikkei's gains came after Toyota shares advanced 1.2% after the auto-maker revised up its full-year profit estimate by 10% and posted its highest quarterly net profit in two years.
Sentiment was also boosted as the yen eased from an 8-month high against the U.S. dollar after a flurry of better-than-expected U.S. data.
The move saw Japanese exporters advance, with Sony gaining 0.90% and Canon up 0.80%.
In the commodities sector, oil prices fell for a second straight day, moving toward USD 82 a barrel as the U.S. dollar strengthened.
Meanwhile, wheat traded close to a 22-month high at over USD 7 a bushel as Russian officials considered an export ban amid a prolonged drought in the Ukraine which has damaged crops.
The outlook for European equity markets, meanwhile, was optimistic: EURO STOXX 50 futures indicated a gain of 0.12%, France’s CAC 40 futures pointed to a gain of 0.10% and Germany's DAX futures indicated a rise of 0.04%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release key data on initial jobless claims.