Asian markets were mostly higher on Friday following another strong lead from Wall Street, where traders took heart from more upbeat US jobs numbers.
The yen edged up in morning trade despite Japanese lawmakers giving final approval to the government’s nominees to take the helm at the Bank of Japan, with expectations high that it will usher in more aggressive monetary easing.
Tokyo rose 0.84 per cent, Hong Kong was 0.34 per cent higher, Sydney added 1.07 per cent and Shanghai was up 0.10 per cent. Seoul fell 0.50 per cent.
On Wall Street, traders welcomed US Labor Department data showing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week for the third week in a row, signalling continuing improvement in the jobs market.
The S&P 500, which includes all major segments of the US economy, climbed 0.56 per cent to end just short of its all-time high close set in October 2007.
And the Dow was up 0.58 per cent, breaking its all-time record for the eighth straight day. It was the Dow’s 10th consecutive rise.
However, while the unemployment numbers were welcomed, the dollar fell to 96.08 yen in New York from 96.40 yen in Asia earlier Thursday.
