HONG KONG (Nikkei Markets) -- Asian stocks outside of Japan rose on Friday, ending the week higher, helped by extended gains for indexes on Wall Street and optimism over first-quarter earnings from regional companies.
The Nikkei Asia300 Index rose 0.9% to 1,422.73, climbing 2.1% for the week. The three equity benchmarks in the U.S. rose 0.8% or more on Thursday, as a slower-than-expected uptick in retail inflation eased worried of a faster pace of rate increases in the world's largest economy. The Nasdaq Composite, the S&P 500 Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average are set for a weekly advance as they have ended higher for at least four out of the last five days.
