Silver Market Update

March silver futures SIH5, -0.26% meanwhile, advanced 24 cents, or 1.3%, to $18.19 an ounce in electronic trading.

High-grade copper for March delivery HGH5, -0.46%  rose 2 cents to settle at $2.61 a pound.

Gold loses steam above $1,300 as ECB stimulus measures loom

Gold lost some of its earlier momentum to snap a seven-day winning streak Wednesday, unable to defend its first foray above $1,300 an ounce since August.

Gold for February delivery GCG5, -0.12%  relinquished its earlier high to dip 50 cents to settle at $1,293.70 an ounce after settling at its highest price in five months Tuesday.

Current Market Update

 Here are the latest trading levels for Asia's major stock markets: 

Tokyo (Nikkei Average NIK, -0.02% ) up 0.2% 

 Hong Kong (Hang Seng Index HSI, +0.43% ) up 0.4% 

 Shanghai (Shanghai Composite Index SHCOMP, -0.20% ) down 0.2% (at break) 

Sydney (S&P/ASX 200 XJO, +0.29% ) up 0.4%

 Seoul (Kospi SEU, +0.15% ) up 0.2% 

 Mumbai (Sensex 1, +0.50% ) up 0.4% 

 Taipei (Taiex Y9999, +0.34% ) up 0.4%

Asian Market Update

Asian markets extended their rally this week, while the euro edged up marginally ahead of a much-anticipated European Central Bank policy meeting.

For a second straight session Japanese shares bucked the regional trend as a third day of gains on Wall Street was overshadowed by a pick-up in the yen against the dollar.

Hong Kong added 0.52 per cent, Sydney added 0.59 per cent, Seoul put on 0.34 percent and Shanghai put on 0.50 per cent, but Tokyo eased 0.10 per cent.

Eyes are firmly on the meeting later Thursday of the ECB, with expectations high that it will unveil a programme of asset-purchasing, or quantitative easing (QE) similar to that recently ended in the United States.

KLSE Malaysia Opening Market Update

MALAYSIA share prices opened lower on Thursday with the FTSE Bursa Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Composite Index down 2.35 points to 1767.74.

Volume was 47.54 million lots worth RM16.24 million.

Gainers outnumbered losers 121 to 42.