Indian shares were up modestly in cautious trade on Thursday despite mixed global cues.

Foreign trade data from Switzerland and the current account from the euro area are the top economic news due on Thursday. At 2.00 am ET, Switzerland's customs office is slated to release foreign trade data for March.

Asian stock markets are trading mostly higher on Thursday, despite the broadly negative cues from Wall Street overnight, with the markets advancing for the first time in a week as currencies in the region strengthen against the US dollar. Meanwhile, the upside is limited amid ongoing concerns about the outlook for interest rates following remarks by US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

Indian shares may open on a cautious note Thursday after Wall Street stocks extended their losing streak to the longest since January amid heightened tensions in the Middle East and renewed uncertainty around rate cuts.

Extending the losses in the previous three sessions, the Japanese market is slightly lower on Thursday, following the broadly negative cues from Wall Street overnight. The Nikkei 225 is staying below the 38,000 mark, with losses in index heavyweights nearly offset by gains in technology and financial stocks.

Expert market comment made by senior analyst Alex Kuptsikevich of the FxPro Analyst Team: The dollar pauses after a climb

Expert market comment made by senior analyst Alex Kuptsikevich of the FxPro Analyst Team: Bitcoin and Ethereum in the eye of the storm?

Stocks remain under pressure as Fedspeak and US data dent rate cuts chances; Dollar remains dominant against both the euro and the yen; UK inflation surprises on the upside; the pound tries to rally;• A plethora of Fed, ECB and BoE speakers to keep the market on its toes today

Bitcoin and Apple stocks dipped slightly; EUR/USD and gold-dollar prices remained stable. Sterling hit a 5-month low against the dollar due to UK unemployment data. Crypto.com plans significant hiring. Economic events include data releases from Japan, UK, Eurozone, Austria, and the US Federal Reserve.

Brent crude oil prices decreased slightly on Wednesday, falling to 89.50 USD per barrel. The decline is primarily attributed to concerns over global oil demand, particularly given the economic indicators coming out of China, the world's largest energy importer.