Asian stocks breathe a sigh of relief as geopolitical tensions ease

Taiwan stocks led gains in Asia-Pacific markets as investors grapple with fears of Chinese military exercises and the impact of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit.
Taiwan’s Taiex jumped 2.03%, with chip maker TSMC up 3%. The index traded lower this week as tensions escalated between the US and China over Pelosi’s trip.
The Nikkei 225 index in Japan rose 0.78% and the broadest MSCI index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan added 0.76%.
The Australian index rose 0.43%, as the Reserve Bank of Australia revised its inflation forecast and warned that the economy will slow.
In South Korea, the Kospi advanced 0.87%.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was partially higher.
Mainland China markets were higher, too, with the Shanghai Composite up 0.28% and the Shenzhen Composite by 0.64%.
US stocks
Stock indices on Wall Street ended the trading session mixed, Thursday, as gains in shares of high-growth companies, strong, offset losses in energy companies, as investors awaited the monthly jobs data for indications of the pace of interest rate hikes.
The Nasdaq index reached a new high in three months, led by Amazon and Advanced Micro Devices, but declines in Apple and energy shares, including Exxon Mobil, pressured the S&P 500.
Concerns about a global economic slowdown pushed oil prices to their lowest levels since before the Ukraine crisis erupted in February, and US bond yields plummeted after the Bank of England warned of a prolonged recession.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 85.31 points, or 0.26 percent, to record 32,727.19 points, and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell by 3.15 points, or 0.08 percent, to record 4,152.02 points. As for the Nasdaq Composite, it rose 52.42 points, or 0.41 percent, to record 12,720.58 points at the close.