European stocks have risen and US futures have flatlined as investors mull tentative signs of progress in Iran peace talks, while Nvidia stock has slipped despite the chip-making giant's earnings beating expectations.
Europe's STOXX 600 index was up 0.2 per cent on Thursday, having fallen earlier in the session.
Futures for the S&P 500 and tech-focused Nasdaq were both little changed.
The S&P 500 rose 1.1 per cent on Wednesday after three days of declines as oil prices fell after US President Donald Trump said Iran talks were in the final stages, though he said he could also restart attacks.
The rally carried over into Asia, with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan climbing 2.6 per cent.
Samsung shares jumped 8.5 per cent after the electronics giant's union said it would suspend industrial action, averting a strike that threatened global chip supply.
Investors in the US and Europe on Thursday were left mulling mixed messages from Trump on Iran.
The US president said on Wednesday he could wait a few days for "the right answers" from Tehran, but was also willing to resume strikes on the country.
Pakistan was stepping up diplomatic efforts to keep US-Iran peace talks on track, as officials in Tehran said they were reviewing Washington's latest responses.
"Conviction is lower this time," said Francesco Pesole, currency strategist at ING.
"Rhetoric from both sides remains belligerent, and markets are more hesitant to chase optimistic headlines after earlier disappointments."
Shares in Nvidia, the world's biggest company by market capitalisation, slipped 0.4 per cent in pre-market trading despite the firm beating Wall Street expectations.
Nvidia on Wednesday forecast second-quarter earnings of $US91 billion ($A127 billion) and announced an $US80 billion share repurchase program.
"Investors want the world from Nvidia," said Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell.
"Despite the company once again beating consensus quarterly sales and earnings estimates, the shares fell in pre-market trading on worries around the sustainability of its rapid growth."
Questions about the durability of the AI rally have failed to dent the massive rise in US stocks, however, which are up more than 8 per cent this year.
In currencies, the index tracking the US dollar, which has been a safe haven for investors during the war, was flat at 99.15.
It slipped from a six-week high of 99.47 on Wednesday on hopes of progress in peace talks.
The euro was flat at $US1.16 on Thursday, just above a six-week low.
Meanwhile, 10-year US Treasury yields, which set the tone for borrowing costs around the world, were up one basis point at 4.58 per cent.
They hit a 16-month high of 4.687 per cent on Tuesday, as traders continued to scrap their previous bets on Federal Reserve rate cuts.
