Asian stocks were poised for gains Thursday after the latest US inflation report matched expectations, easing concerns about imminent Federal Reserve rate increases. Equity-index futures for Japan and South Korea advanced, putting a broader regional gauge on track for a second day of gains. Nasdaq 100 contracts slipped in early Asian trading after Cisco Systems Inc.’s earnings failed to impress.

That followed gains in US benchmarks, with the S&P 500 coming within striking distance of a record and a rally in megacap chipmakers lifting the Nasdaq 100 to a one-month high. JPMorgan Asset Management’s chief global strategist David Kelly sees a disinflation trend in the US stemming from lower tariff costs and oil eventually flowing out of the Strait of Hormuz.