Asia report: Markets higher on quiet day after Dow surge

Markets in Asia were mostly higher on Thursday, following on from a stellar session in the US overnight after the Dow broke through 20,000, amid a raft of executive orders from US President Donald Trump.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 1.81% to 19,402.39, led higher by semiconductor manufacturer Tokyo Electron, which rose 5.69%.

The yen was weaker against the greenback, last behind 0.82% at JPY 114.21 per $1.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite was 0.31% higher at 3,159.16, while the smaller, tech-centric Shenzhen Composite was 0.7% firmer at 1,917.31.

In South Korea, the Kospi finished up 0.81% at 2,083.59, while the Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong closed 1.41% higher at 23,374.17.

The news of the day once again centred on Trump, who watched a conveyor belt of executive orders pass across his desk this week.

He gave clearance for two highly controversial oil pipelines on Tuesday - the Keystone XL pipeline to be built by TransCanada, and the Dakota Access Pipeline being developed by Energy Transfer Partners,

The President also signed off on his most controversial immigration policies on Wednesday, strengthening immigration laws and border security and paving the way for his mammoth wall along the US-Mexico border.

Oil prices were higher during Asian trading, with Brent crude last up 0.45% at $55.33 per barrel, and West Texas Intermediate adding 0.27% at $52.89.

Australian markets were closed for the Australia Day national holiday.

In New Zealand, the S&P/NZX 50 finished up 0.3% at 7,114.32, led higher by chicken products producer Tegel, which added 3%.

National carrier Air New Zealand flew lower, losing 3.6% after it revealed passenger revenue in the first half had fallen sharply.

The down under dollars were both weaker, with the Aussie last off 0.28% at AUD 1.3242 against the greenback and the Kiwi losing 0.57% to NZD 1.3781 per $1.