Investing.com - Asian shares gained on Thursday lifted by solid overnight sentiment and regional data flows.
The Nikkei 225 gained 0.99%, while the shanghai Composite rose 0.23%. The S&P/ASX 200 was up 1.11%.
Australia reported exports rose 1% and imports fell 1% month-on-month for January with a trade balance deficit seen of A$2.937 billion, narrower than the A$3.1 billion seen.
In China, the Caixin Services PMI for February came in at 51.2, below the 52.6 seen, and down from 52.4 the previous month.
Earlier in Australia, the AIG services index for February came in at 51.8, reaching expansion after a reading of 48.4 last month.
"While the return to expansion is clearly encouraging the picture painted by the Australian PSI is still one of fragility and vulnerability," AI Group Chief Executive Innes Willox said.
"This should be a warning to policymakers against an excessively restrictive federal budget in May and highlights the room for a targeted lift in incentives for business investment."
As well comments came that Japan needs both aggressive monetary easing and government structural reform aimed at boosting labor productivity in order to overcome years of deflation and achieve sustained growth, Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Hiroshi Nakaso said Thursday.
Overnight, U.S. stocks were higher after the close on Wednesday, as gains in the Oil & Gas, Telecoms and Financials sectors led shares higher.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.20% to hit a new 1-month high, while the S&P 500 index gained 0.41%, and the NASDAQ Composite index climbed 0.29%.