Mainland and Hong Kong stocks opened mixed on Thursday amid growing expectations that the US Federal Reserve would be trimming interest rates before the end of the year.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index opened trading on Thursday up 17 points, or 0.07 percent, at 25,945.

On the mainland, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index crept up three points, or 0.08 percent, to 3,867, while the Shenzhen Component Index was almost four points, or 0.03 percent, lower at 12,903, and the ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, was down 0.11 percent at 3,041.

The S&P/ASX 200 index opened at 8,624 points, up 17 points, or 0.2 percent.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average opened up 309 points, or 0.62 percent, at 49,868.

"Technology stocks lifted Wall Street overnight, and the Japanese market exactly mirrored it today," said Shuutarou Yasuda, a market analyst at Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Laboratory.

Wall Street extended its rally on Wednesday as revived tech strength and the increasing probability of a December interest rate cut put investors in a buying mood the day before the Thanksgiving holiday. (Reuters/Xinhua)