Nikkei
Japanese equities tracked losses across Wall Street and Europe to end lower on Thursday, amid growing fears that the US Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next week.
The benchmark index Nikkei 225 closed 272.47 points, or 0.85%, lower at 31,641.27.
Japan's GDP for the January to March quarter grew an annualized 2.7%, more than the initial estimate of a 1.6% gain, the Cabinet Office reported Thursday. The reading also beat market expectations of a 1.9% expansion.
In corporate news, Eisai (TYO:4523) shares soared 8% on Thursday closing after Reuters reported about documents from the US Food and Drug Administration, which analysts think suggest approval for its Alzheimer's disease drug. The drug regulator's staff said data from a late-stage trial of Eisai and Biogen's Leqembi drug exhibited a meaningful benefit to patients, indicating its possibility of gaining traditional approval.
Hang Seng
Hong Kong shares finished Thursday in positive territory on hopes that China will unveil fresh measures to boost the world's number two economy as it struggles to rebound from years of zero-Covid measures.
The Hang Seng Index rose 0.25 percent, or 47.18 points, to 19,299.18.
The Shanghai Composite Index added 0.49 percent, or 15.83 points, to 3,213.59, while the Shenzhen Composite Index on China's second exchange dipped 0.15 percent, or 2.95 points, to 1,992.33.
Gold
Gold futures settled higher on Thursday, recouping most of losses from a day earlier that pulled prices to their lowest finish in just over a week.
The precious metal found support from weakness in the U.S. dollar following U.S. data showing a weekly rise in the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits to a nearly two-year high.
Gold for August delivery rose $20.20, or 1%, to settle at $1,978.60 an ounce on Comex after losing 1.2% on Wednesday. Prices for the contract eye a weekly rise of around 0.5%, FactSet data show.
July silver climbed 82 cents, or 3.5%, at $24.35 an ounce.
July platinum fell 1% to $1,013.90 an ounce, while September palladium lost 2.1% at $1,358.30 an ounce.
July copper rose 1% to $3.80 a pound.
U.S. jobless claims rose 28,000 to 261,000 for the week ended June 3, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
The ICE U.S. Dollar index declined by 076% to 103.35 following the data, raising the appeal of dollar-denominated gold.
The rise in jobless claims helps support the possibility that the Federal Reserve will not increase interest rates at their policy meeting next week.
Oil
Oil futures declined on Thursday, pressured after a media report that said the U.S. and Iran were nearing a deal that would help alleviate sanctions on Tehran.
Prices, however, settled above the session's lowest levels as the U.S. called the media report "false," according to a report from Reuters. July West Texas Intermediate crude fell $1.24, or 1.7%, to settle at $71.29 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
