Asian-Pacific markets traded higher on Thursday, as Japan's stock market led Asian markets as the yen hit 2-year lows overnight.
By 10:50 am AEST (12:50 am GMT) Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 ticked 0.1% higher and the Nikkei 225 surged by 1.9%.
Meanwhile, markets in mainland China will remain closed until October 8 for a week-long holiday, and South Korea will observe National Foundation Day on Thursday.
The yen weakened overnight, reaching 146.54 against the U.S. dollar.
Among data releases, Australia’s seasonally adjusted Judo Bank Composite PMI dropped to 49.6 in September from 51.7 in August, falling below the neutral mark of 50. The services PMI also declined to 50.5 from 52.5 the previous month.
Japan's manufacturing and services PMIs figures for September also came in below expectations while remaining in expansion at 53.1 and 52, respectively.
Ahead in the session, the Australian Bureau of Statistics is set to release the country's trade data for August, with economists forecasting a surplus of 5.5 billion Australian dollars, down from AU$6.01 billion in July.
Meanwhile, Indian shares ended flat, with the BSE SENSEX remaining unchanged at 84,266.29.
In Europe, stocks in the U.K. finished higher, with the FTSE 100 Index adding 0.2% to 8,290.86. However, the performance was mixed across the continent, as Germany's DAX lost 0.3% to 19,164.75, while France's CAC 40 remained unchanged at 7,577.59.
