Japanese stocks chugged higher early Thursday, finding support after a record close for the S&P 500 Index and by strengthening in the U.S. dollar versus the yen.
The Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.5% and the broader Topix tacked on 0.6%.
Gains also coming after Japanese core machinery orders surpassed expectations.
Among exporters, Sharp Corp. surged 4.7%, Pioneer Corp. picked up 3.1% and Nissan Motor Co. gained 2.4%.
Shares of Tokyo Electric Power Co. were higher by 2% folowing government approval of the power firm's turnaround plan.
Hong Kong stocks rose Thursday, as China Mobile Ltd. shined on news of iPhone pre-orders hitting 1 million units.
The Hang Seng Index added 0.6%. On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite edged down 0.1%.
Market heavyweight China Mobile rallied 0.9%, as the world's largest mobile carrier said it has received more than 1 million pre-orders for the iPhone before it goes on sale in the carrier's stores on Friday, at a time when Apple Inc. Chief Executive Tim Cook visited Beijing for future cooperation between the two giants.
Telecom equipment shares also advanced, with ZTE Corp. rising 1.2%.
Meanwhile, China Mobile's smaller rivals slipped, as China Unicom dropped 0.7%, and China Telecom fell 0.5%.
China South City Holdings, a developer of logistics and trade centers, surged 56%, after the company announced that Internet giant Tencent Holdings would invest about 1.5 billion Hong Kong dollars ($195 million) for an almost 10% stake in the developer in order to expand their business online, including e-commerce and online payment services. Tencent Holdings climbed 3%.
Australia stocks rose Thursday, with miners leading the way higher after a positive production report from Rio Tinto Ltd., while overall sentiment got a lift from U.S. gains overnight.
The S&P/ASX 200 improved by 0.6% with shares of Rio Tinto rising 2.2% after reporting record high iron-ore shipments for 2013 and a sold gain for copper output. Rio's peers also advanced, with BHP Billiton Ltd. up 1.7%, Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. ahead by 3.2%, and Oz Minerals Ltd. adding 2.4%.
Among the gold producers, Newcrest Mining Ltd. surged 7.2% as J.P. Morgan raised its rating on the shares to overweight from neutral.
Banks weren't as lucky, however, with Australia & New Zealand Banking Group down 0.3%, while Westpac Banking Corp. and Commonwealth Bank of Australia lost 0.7% each as Citibank downgraded the trio to neutral from buy.
Australia’s currency tripped to a more than three-year low against the U.S. dollar Thursday after an unexpected loss of jobs in Australia last month heightened speculation that monetary-policy makers will soon cut interest rates.
The report from the Australia Bureau of Statistics showed the country lost 22,600 jobs in December. Economists had been looking for a gain of 10,000 jobs. The unemployment rate held steady at 5.8%.
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