Asian stocks climbed as profit at Australian bank Macquarie Group Ltd. rose, U.S. jobless claims fell to the lowest in five years and the European Central Bank cut interest rates to a record low.

Nikkei 225 Closed

Hang Seng 22,721.9 +53.60 +0.24%

S&P/ASX 200 5,129.5 -0.47 -0.01%

Shanghai Composite 2,205.27 +31.15 +1.43%

Macquarie surged 11 percent, its biggest gain in four years, as profit at the Australia's largest investment bank topped estimates.

New World Development Co., the Hong Kong builder controlled by billionaire Cheng Yu-tung, gained 3.9 percent after receiving permission from the city's stock exchange to proceed with the listing of its local hotels.

Fletcher Building Ltd., a manufacturer of construction products, sank 6.5 percent in Wellington as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. cut its outlook for building-material shares.