Japan stocks jump as oil prices bounce back, Asian stocks mixed

Asia stocks were mixed on Thursday as oil prices continued their overnight rebound that recouped some recent losses.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 led gains among the region’s major markets as it rose 1.52% to close at 19,429.44 while the Topix index gained 1.36% to finish its trading day at 1,425.98.

Mainland Chinese stocks dipped on the day, with the Shanghai composite 0.19% lower to about 2,838.50 while the Shenzhen composite shed 0.5% to 1,763.03. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index added about 0.3%, as of its final hour of trading.

South Korea’s Kospi closed 0.98% higher at 1,914.73.

Meanwhile, shares in Australia dipped, with the S&P/ASX 200 closing slightly lower at 5,217.10.

Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index edged 0.45% higher.