Shares surged in Tokyo, Seoul and other Asian markets Thursday, fuelled by hopes of a Middle East peace accord and by negotiations averting a planned strike at Samsung Electronics.
Rallies in tech equities also drove gains, as Elon Musk's SpaceX disclosed its filing for what could be the largest initial public offering in history.
Japan's Nikkei index jumped more than 3.5 percent after Iran said it was examining a new US proposal to end the Middle East war.
President Donald Trump described on Wednesday the talks as being on the "borderline" between a deal and renewed attacks.
Cautious hopes rippled quickly through financial markets.
Oil fell more than five percent Wednesday, while US stocks rose.
But analysts warned investors remained wary after weeks of false starts, and on Thursday crude prices edged up around 0.5 percent.
South Korea's benchmark Kospi index soared 6.8 percent in morning trade -- with Samsung Electronics trading 5.9 percent higher.
Samsung's union said late Wednesday that a strike had been put on hold after negotiations with management resumed with the participation of Seoul's labour minister.
The labour union at the world's top memory chip maker had planned to begin a strike on Thursday after talks over bonuses broke down -- raising concerns about potential disruption to semiconductor production.
But the strike "will be put off until further notice", it said, adding that it would put a tentative wage deal to a members' vote between May 23 and May 28.
- IPO frenzy - Taipei jumped 3.6 percent, Sydney gained 1.6 percent and Singapore was up 0.4 percent.
Hong Kong, Shanghai,....
