Asian stocks gained on Thursday, led by energy and finance companies, as oil prices rallied. Futures on the S&P500 Index rose 0.1% after the gauge advanced 0.7% on Wednesday as energy stocks gained, while Merck led drugmakers higher after a judge upheld a patent.
Asian markets (Thurs)
04:10 BST
Nikkei up 75.19 (0.74%) at 10,279.19
Topix up 6.59 (0.70%) at 949.84
Hang Seng up 273.41 (1.37%) at 20,227.64
US markets (Wed)
S&P500 up 6.79 (0.69%) at 996.46
DJIA up 61.22 (0.66%) at 9,279.16
Nasdaq up 13.32 (0.68%) at 1,969.24
European markets (Wed)
Eurofirst 300 down 2.58 (-0.28%) at 931.98
FTSE100 up 3.89 (0.08%) at 4,689.67
Currencies
04:05 BST
€/$ 1.4212 (1.4140)
$/¥ 94.31 (94.64)
£/$ 1.6510 (1.6530)
Commodities (continuous)
04:08 BST
Brent Crude (ICE) down $0.47 at $74.12
Light Crude (Nymex) down $0.31 at $73.52
100 Oz Gold (Comex) down $1.40 at $943.40
Copper (Comex) down $1.90 at $274.15
10-year government bond yields (%)
04:12 BST
US 3.58 (3.50)
UK 3.48 (3.60)
Germany 3.26 (3.30)
Japan 1.35 (1.35)
Sources: FT, Reuters, Bloomberg