Investors Optimistic as Banking Concerns Ease and Markets Rally.

Global stocks are up 0.3% as investors hope the banking sector has turned a corner on its recent turmoil. The relief rally on Wall Street on Wednesday raised spirits among investors, underpinned by firmer U.S. stock index futures, on Thursday. The rates-sensitive Nasdaq is up nearly 14% this year and heading for its best quarter in more than two years. As the dust settles on a wild and volatile ride after Silicon Valley Bank's collapse unleashed fears of a broader banking crisis, the winners appear to be bonds and large tech companies that tend to benefit when interest rates fall. Asia's stock markets held recent gains on Thursday as investors weighed whether a break-up of Chinese conglomerate Alibaba signals Beijing's regulatory storm aimed at tech companies might finally be clearing.