Kospi, Nikkei225, Sensex, Hang Seng, Nifty 50

Asia-Pacific markets are expected to open higher on Thursday, following the gains in Wall Street. There is a growing optimism that the conflict in the Middle East could soon come to an end, which has led to a cooling of oil prices.

President Donald Trump has stated that the United States is in the “final stages” of negotiations with Iran, which has boosted investor confidence. The rise in oil prices was triggered by the Trump administration’s blockade of Iranian ports and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Tehran.

Investors will also be keeping a close eye on economic data from the Asia-Pacific region, with a particular focus on Japan’s trade data scheduled to be released later in the day.

The Nikkei 225 in Japan is set to see gains, with the Chicago futures contract at 61,255 and its Osaka counterpart trading at 61,300, compared to the index’s previous close of 59,804.41.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures are at 25,761, higher than the index’s last close of 25,651.12.

In Australia, futures are trading at 8,633, while the S&P/ASX 200 closed at 8,496.60.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures dropped by 5.66% to close at $98.26 per barrel on Wednesday, while Brent crude pulled back by 5.63% to settle at $105.02 a barrel. WTI futures are up by 0.88% at $99.12 per barrel in Asian trading on Thursday.