Asian markets today, June 18 -- Asian markets started Thursday's session on a positive note, with South Korea's Kospi and Japan's Nikkei 225 climbing to new record highs.

South Korea's Kospi gained 1%, supported by a 3.45% jump in SK Hynix, which hit a fresh peak, while Samsung Electronics advanced 1.23%. In contrast, the small-cap Kosdaq slipped 0.5%.

Japan's Nikkei 225 surged 2%, crossing the 71,000 mark for the first time, while the broader Topix index rose 1.27%.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 remained largely unchanged. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index futures stood at 24,510, slightly above the benchmark's previous close of 24,493.95.

Asian equities advanced and US stock futures moved higher as oil prices continued to retreat aft...