Asian markets today, May 21 -- Asian markets traded higher on Thursday, 21 May, following strong gains on Wall Street, as easing oil prices boosted sentiment amid rising optimism that the Middle East conflict may soon come to an end.

Japan's Nikkei 225 jumped 3.06% after the country released its latest trade figures. Exports in April climbed 14.8% year-on-year - the fastest growth since January - driven largely by robust semiconductor shipments and surpassing market expectations. Imports increased 9.7%, above the anticipated 8.3% rise, while Japan's trade deficit narrowed to 301.9 billion yen from 643 billion yen in March, according to official data.

Meanwhile, SoftBank Group surged nearly 20% after strong earnings from Nvidia reinforce...