Markets in Asia put in a mixed performance in a volatile session on Thursday, with investors doing some bargain-hunting but also still jittery with more bank earnings to come in the US.

Tokyo snapped a four-day losing streak while Hang Seng reversed a 2 per cent fall in the morning to close with its the biggest rise since late November. Korea’s Kospi gained over 1 per cent but Australia fell for the seventh straight session and Shanghai lost nearly 3 per cent. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 1 per cent.