Markets in Asia and the Pacific were higher at the close of trade on Thursday.
In New Zealand, the benchmark index was up 10 points, or 0.3%, to 3126.
Top stocks were mixed. Telecom was up 2 cents to $2.72 per share, Fletcher Building fell 6c to $7.96 and Contact Energy rose 5c to $6.07.
Sky City Entertainment was up 7c to $3.26, Fisher and Paykel Healthcare rose 5c to $3.40, while Sky Network Television gained 10c to $4.65.
TrustPower was down 3c to $7.48 after deciding not to proceed with its 48-megawatt Myponga windfarm, near Adelaide
In Australia, investors pushed the share market higher, despite figures showing a drop in employment.
The All Ordinaries index rose 46 points to 4,574, not far off the 11-month high it reached earlier in the day, the ABC website reports.
The ASX 200 closed 49 points higher at 4,571 on the back of improvements across all sectors.
Japanese share prices rose almost 2% on Thursday after US stocks climbed for a fourth straight day on renewed optimism about prospects for a recovery in the world economy.
Investors were unfazed by news that Japanese machinery orders hit a record low in July amid reduced investment by companies in equipment and factories, AFP reports.
The benchmark Nikkei-225 index gained 201.53 points, or 1.95%, to 10,513.67. The broader Topix index of all first section shares added 18.65 points, or 1.98%, to 958.49.
