Asian shares are mixed after Wall Street drifted around its records

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Asian shares traded mixed on Thursday after U.S. stocks drifted near their records.

U.S. futures edged higher, while oil prices declined.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.2% to 51,139.48 as investors took heart as the U.S. government shutdown finally ended.

President Donald Trump signed a government funding bill Wednesday night, ending a record 43-day shutdown that caused financial stress for federal workers who went without paychecks, stranded scores of travelers at airports and generated long lines at some food banks.

“The shutdown had blocked not just spending, but also delayed a raft of federal economic data,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary, adding that “for markets, the only line that matters is simple: the lights are coming back on.