Nikkei, Kospi, Topix: Asiens Börsen auf Erholungskurs – Warten auf US-Arbeitsmarktdaten

Asian stock markets are showing signs of recovery on Thursday, with investors eagerly awaiting new U.S. economic data and remarks from central bank officials. The focus is on the US employment report due on Friday, following disappointing private sector employment figures in August. Additionally, a speech from Christopher Waller, Governor of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, is anticipated.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell had previously dampened expectations for a rate hike this month, but traders recently boosted their odds of a 25 basis point interest rate increase at the upcoming meeting to roughly two-thirds, according to the CME Group's FedWatch tool. The tool had previously indicated a 37 percent probability for such a move a week ago.

European Central Bank (ECB) and Bank of Japan (BOJ) policy meetings are also closely watched by investors, as they seek to gauge the extent of rate tightening by the major central banks amid persistent inflation concerns. The Japan-based Nikkei index searched for direction on Thursday, with the 225-point index ending 0.2 percent higher at 64,456.

The broader Topix index gained 1.0 percent to 4,124. Shanghai's stock exchange rose 0.5 percent to 3,960. The CSI-300 index, tracking China's 300 largest mainland companies, increased 0.5 percent to 4,572.

Among the biggest losers in the Nikkei were Fast Retailing, parent of Uniqlo, down 3.58 percent, and Inpex, Japan's leading oil and gas producer, which fell 3.43 percent. The furniture retailer Nitori Holdings rose 6.62 percent, and Mitsubishi Motors gained 4.09 percent. These were the top gainers in the index. Japanese services sector growth in August, the strongest since five months, supports the view that the country's economy is robust enough for a BOJ rate hike.