TOKYO – Asian shares advanced on Thursday, riding a wave of optimism about a possible treatment for the coronavirus that set off a rally on Wall Street powerful enough to override data showing the U.S.
economy had logged its worst quarterly performance since 2009. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 surged 2.1% to finish at 20,193.69, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 2.4% to 5,522.40.
The Shanghai Composite added 1.3% to 2,859.56. Markets in South Korea and Hong Kong were closed for holidays. India's Sensex gained 3% to 33,700.35.
Markets in Taiwan and Southeast Asia also advanced. On Wall Street, the upswell of hope about curbing the virus outbreak was so strong that investors completely sidestepped the report showing the U.S.