What do you believe is the single most important factor driving up the cost of living in Nigeria?

A general view of the Shanghai Securities Exchange building is being shown in Shanghai, China, on July 16, 2024.

SINGAPORE — Asia-Pacific markets closed higher on Thursday, following gains on Wall Street that saw the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average reach new records as investors shrugged off geopolitical concerns.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 ended the day up 0.43% to reach 8,223 points. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.34% to end at 2,603.25, while the small-cap Kosdaq was down 0.22% to 776.52.

Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 0.26% to end at 39,380.89, while the broad-based Topix rose 0.2% to close at 2,71267.

Traders in Asia were assessing September data on producer prices in Japan which rose 2.8% from a year ago. Economists polled by Reuters had predicted the inflation rate would come in at 2.3%, down from 2.5% in August.

Investors also assessed quarterly earnings report from Japanese retailer Seven & i Holdings Co. after it received a revised buyout offer from Alimentation Couche-Tard.

• Read More