This is CNBC's live blog covering Asia-Pacific markets.

Hong Kong stocks rebounded Thursday, while mainland China shares also rose after languishing near five-year lows.

The CSI 300 index rebounded to gain 1.41% and ended at 3,274.73, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index climbed 0.89%.

It comes a day after data showed China's economy expanded by 5.2% in the fourth quarter of 2023, missing Reuters poll estimates of 5.3% growth.

In Singapore, Transport Minister S Iswaran has resigned and faces 27 charges including for corruption, following months of investigations by the country's anti-graft agency.

Australian markets extended their losses to a fifth straight day, with the S&P/ASX 200 falling 0.63% and closing at 7,346.5.

Japan's Nikkei 225 slipped marginally to 35,466.17, while the Topix was down 0.17%, ending at 2,492.09.

South Korea's Kospi rallied late to gain 0.17% and rebound to 2,440.04, while the small-cap Kosdaq closed 0.87% up at 840.33.

Overnight in the U.S., all three major indexes fell, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average recording a third straight day of losses.

The 30-stock Dow declined 0.25%, while the S&P 500 slid 0.56% and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.59%.

Retail sales data for December came in stronger than expected, indicating a resilient consumer demand and putting aggressive rate cuts from the Federal Reserve into doubt.

Retail sales were up 0.6% from November, and gained 0.4% month over month, excluding autos. Economists polled by Dow Jones had estimated a 0.4% month-on-month increase in retail sales and 0.2% ex-autos.

— CNBC's Hakyung Kim and Samantha Subin contributed to this report

TSMC posts better than expected fourth-quarter results

The world's largest contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company on Thursday posted better-than-expected profit and revenue on the back of weaker macroeconomic conditions.

Here are TSMC's fourth-quarter results versus LSEG consensus estimates:

• Revenue: 625.53 billion New Taiwan dollars ($19.62 billion), vs. NT$618.31 billion expected
• Net income: NT$238.71 billion, vs. NT$225.22 billion expected

TSMC reported revenue slipped 1.5% from a year ago to NT$625.53 billion, while net income dropped 19.3% from a year ago to NT$238.71 billion. 

That compares with TSMC's guidance for fourth-quarter revenue between $18.8 billion and $19.6 billion.

Read the full story here.

— Sheila Chiang

Singapore’s transport minister quits; faces 27 charges including corruption

Singapore's transport minister S Iswaran resigned Thursday after he was formally informed of charges, including that of corruption, by the country's anti-graft agency after months of investigations.

Iswaran appeared in court and was handed 27 charges. There were 24 charges of obtaining gratification as a public servant, two charges of corruption and one charge of obstructing the course of justice. He pleaded not guilty.

Iswaran was the first cabinet minister in Singapore to be charged for corruption and the first to be investigated since 1986.

Read the full story here.

— Lim Hui Jie

Australia employment numbers unexpectedly drop, unemployment rate steady at 3.9%

Australia's employment numbers unexpectedly fell by 65,100 people in December, compared with an increase of 17,600 people estimated in a Reuters poll of economists.

The unemployment rate came in at 3.9%, unchanged from November and holding at its highest level in 19 months.

The country's labor participation rate also fell more than expected to 66.8%, down from estimates of 67.1% and below November's 67.2%.

David Taylor, head of labor statistics at Australia's bureau of statistics noted "both the unemployment and underemployment rates remained relatively low and the participation rate and employment-to-population ratio relatively high, suggesting that the labor market remains tight."

— Lim Hui Jie

Around half of Japanese firms looking to restructure to boost corporate value: Reuters

Around half of Japanese firms are looking at reviewing or restructuring their businesses to boost corporate value, according to a Reuters survey.

Reuters said that this was amid the Japanese markets hitting their highest levels in almost 34 years, buoyed by expectations that companies will boost shareholder returns through unwinding of cross-holdings, share buybacks and other measures.

The survey showed that among the 104 companies polled, just under a third said they were looking at merging with other companies, while around a quarter were looking at the sale of non-core businesses.

— Reuters

CNBC Pro: 2023's AI boom was about 'obvious' plays — here's how to invest in the next leg, according to Citi

Artificial intelligence blew up the markets in 2023.

And Nvidia marked the heart of the AI boom, soaring over 200% last year. The "Magnificent Seven" tech stocks drove much of the gains of the S&P 500, which rallied about 24% after a dismal 2022.

The bank said it's "most certainly, not too late" for investors to participate in the "exponential growth" of AI technology.

Here are four areas that are "clear beneficiaries from the coming integration of AI into everyday business and personal lives," according to Citi.

CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.

— Weizhen Tan

CNBC Pro: These 14 cheap stocks are off to a great start in 2024, and Wall Street sees two jumping more than 30%

Stock markets have rallied over the past two months and near all-time highs.

Yet, shares in some companies are trading at steeper discounts than they have in recent history, presenting an opportunity for investors.

CNBC Pro screened the MSCI World Index and found 14 stocks that are trading cheaply with significant upside potential. Subscribers can read more here.

— Ganesh Rao

Economic activity, inflation flat since late November, Fed report notes

Economic activity over the past seven weeks has been largely stagnant, with both hiring and prices rising at a "modest to moderate" pace, according to the Federal Reserve's Beige Book report released Wednesday.

The summary of conditions across the Fed's 12 districts found economic activity to be "relatively unchanged" since the last report on Nov. 29, 2023. From a sector standpoint, housing weakened as did the demand for mortgages amid elevated interest rates.

Companies reported that inflation weighed on consumer activity and noted difficulty in pricing power. Still, they said noted that wage pressures "remain elevated."

—Jeff Cox

U.S.-listed China companies under pressure

U.S.-listed shares of Chinese companies fell Wednesday following the release of weaker-than-expected GDP data out of China.

Shares of JD.com and PDD were down more than 4% each in the premarket. Alibaba lost 3.3%. The iShares China Large Cap ETF (FXI) was also down 3.1%.

— Fred Imbert

Fed unlikely to cut rates in March, according to strategist

While traders remain hopeful that the Federal Reserve will cut rates in March, Verdence Capital chief investment officer Megan Horneman believes rates my not be lowered until the second half of 2024.

"Right now, looking at the economy, there's really no need for them to cut rates right now," Horneman said.

"Cutting interest rates when you have employment that's pretty low and a consumer who's still spending could 're-inflate' inflation, and that's a concern I think the Fed has," Horneman added.

— Hakyung Kim

Oil prices mixed as investors weigh China growth against OPEC demand outlook

Oil prices were mixed on Wednesday as investors weighed disappointing economic growth in China against a strong demand outlook from OPEC.

The West Texas Intermediate futures contract for February gained 16 cents, or .22%, to settle at $72.56 a barrel. The Brent futures contract for March lost 41 cents, or .52%, to settle at $77.88 a barrel.

Oil prices lost more than 2% earlier in the trading session after fourth-quarter economic growth in China missed expectations, raising worries about oil demand.

The two benchmarks recovered some of those losses as OPEC forecast robust oil demand growth in 2025 of 1.8 million barrels per day. The group expects oil demand to grow by 2.25 million barrels per day this year.

Supply and demand dynamics have largely overshadowed fears that mounting tensions in the Middle East could disrupt the market.

— Spencer Kimball