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Asian equities edged higher on Thursday, while the dollar firmed slightly as traders took stock of trade negotiations between the U.S. and Japan even as uncertainties around tariffs implemented by President Donald Trump kept sentiment fragile. Investors were also digesting comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who warned of the risk of slowing growth and rising prices due to tariffs, while gold prices scaled record highs again on safe-haven flows. Japan's Nikkei rose 0.7% while the yen weakened as Japan kicked off talks with the United States.

Investors are acting complacent and "significantly underpricing" the risk of an imminent recession, the strategist Daniel von Ahlen said.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Taiwan's TSMC on Thursday lifted some share prices in Asia and Europe amid U.S. President Donald Trump's fast-evolving trade policies by providing an upbeat forecast, a day after warnings from Nvidia and ASML rocked chip stocks. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, whose customers include Apple and Nvidia, reported better-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday and maintained its full-year outlooks for both revenue and capital spending. Shares of Japanese tech companies and some European firms rose after the TSMC results, which were announced after Taiwan stock markets closed.

The Himalayan nation of Bhutan is exploring ways to mine and leverage green cryptocurrencies using hydropower to boost its economy and create jobs to reduce brain drain, the chief executive of its sovereign wealth fund said. Green cryptocurrencies are digital currencies mined using clean energy resources such as wind, hydro or solar power instead of fossil fuel. Sandwiched between Asian giants India and China, Bhutan has earned millions of dollars in recent years by investing in some of the world's most popular cryptocurrencies and used some of its profit to pay government salaries for two years, two senior officials in Thimphu, the capital said.

Colorado launched an initiative to pay taxes in crypto in 2022, but the program has seen limited usage.

Investors were rattled on Wednesday as dual tariff related news from Nvidia and the Fed trigger a sharp stock sell-off.

Investors are abandoning go-to strategies like “buy the dip” and snapping up bearish bets, bracing for more volatility.

LONDON (Reuters) -Oil prices rose to the highest in two weeks on Thursday amid low liquidity ahead of the Easter holidays after the United States imposed new sanctions to curb Iranian oil exports, elevating supply concerns. Thursday is the last settlement day of the week ahead of the Easter holidays. The new sanctions on Iranian oil exports and hawkish comments on the issue from the U.S. Treasury are increasing supply concerns and helping support crude, said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo.

"I just think that we've got to, we've got to be a little patient to see how some of these things play out," Schmid said in a webcast conversation with Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Lorie Logan at a Dallas Fed event. At the end of the day, he said, the Fed will "react in a positive way to any of those disruptions that might affect that dual mandate," referring to the Fed's mandates of achieving both price stability and full employment.

US stock futures traded flat on the heels of a bruising day on Wall Street that underscored fears over the economic impact of President Trump's tariffs.