The Asian stocks were firm on Thursday, taking their lead from gains on Wall Street. Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.5%, while Australia’s stock benchmark was up 0.1%. Mainland Chinese blue chips also added 0.4%, however, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 0.3%. U.S. S&P 500 futures indicated a 0.1% increase after the cash index advanced 0.4% on