British News Agency

Hong Kong and mainland China markets remain closed due to the Lunar New Year holiday.

South Korea’s Kospi Index reached a new record high on Thursday; the region followed gains on Wall Street, and many Asian exchanges resumed trading after the holiday.

The Kospi index rose 2.76% to hit a new record; heavyweight stocks Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix gained 4.14% and 1.48%, respectively.

The Kosdaq index, which represents small-cap companies, rose 0.59%.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index increased 1.1% in early trading.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rose 0.52%, while the Topix index gained 0.39%.