The Nikkei index in Japan saw a rise at the start of trading on Friday, benefiting from the positive momentum on Wall Street as investors awaited corporate earnings updates. Meanwhile, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 remained relatively unchanged, edging up by just 0.02 percent or 1.60 points to reach 7,640.80. Markets in China, Indonesia, South Korea, and Taiwan were closed for public holidays.
The Nikkei 225 index climbed by 1.08 percent, or 398.40 points, reaching 37,261.68, while the broader Topix index surged by 0.45 percent, or 11.44 points, to hit 2,574.07.
Previously, the S&P 500 index managed to maintain a slight uptick on Thursday, briefly crossing the 5,000-point mark. This was driven by reactions to earnings releases, a jobs report that was in line with expectations, and comments from policymakers regarding potential interest rate adjustments.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average saw a rise of 48.97 points, or 0.13 percent, closing at 38,726.33. The S&P 500 gained 2.85 points, or 0.06 percent, ending at 4,997.91, while the Nasdaq Composite increased by 37.07 points, or 0.24 percent, to 15,793.72.
