Most Asian stock markets experienced an upward trajectory on Thursday, mirroring the gains observed on Wall Street after a volatile trading session. U.S. futures remained largely unchanged, while oil prices saw an increase. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index climbed 0.8% to 48,069.71, buoyed by a robust start to the earnings season and growing expectations of U.S. interest rate cuts. Despite a 0.9% month-on-month decline in Japan’s core machinery orders for August, the figures showed significant improvement from July’s 4.6% drop. South Korea’s Kospi index surged to a record high, rising 1.8% to 3,722.67, driven by optimism over potential tariff agreements between the U.S. and South Korea. Tech and auto stocks, including Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor, and Kia Corp., were among the top performers. In China, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index dipped 0.4%, while the Shanghai Composite index edged up 0.1%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 soared 8% to 9,063.70, surpassing the 9,000 mark for the first time, fueled by gains in gold stocks amid rising gold prices. India’s BSE Sensex and Taiwan’s Taiex also posted gains of 0.5% and 1.5%, respectively. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite advanced, with technology stocks leading the charge following a strong earnings report from ASML, a key semiconductor equipment supplier. However, concerns over inflated stock prices and delayed economic updates due to the U.S. government shutdown have heightened scrutiny on corporate earnings. In commodity markets, U.S. crude oil and Brent crude prices both rose, while the dollar and euro saw modest gains against the yen.