Japan +0.87% Japan to restrict exports of 23 types of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, curb China.
Japan February Retail Sales +1.4% m/m (vs. expected -0.3%).
Japan data – February Industrial production (preliminary) +4.5% m/m (expected +2.7%).
Japan data: February unemployment rate 2.6% (vs, 2.4% expected).
Japan data – Tokyo area headline CPI in March 3.3% y/y (expected 3.2%).
China +0.35% China March Official PMI: Manufacturing 51.9 (expected 51.5) Services 58.2 (exp 54.3).
Hong Kong +0.80%.
Australia +0.78%. Australian data: February private sector credit +0.3% m/m (prior +0.4%).
India +1.04%.
Overnight in the U.S., stocks ended higher for a second straight session, having overcome a mid-afternoon downdraft caused by some hawkish commentary from Federal Reserve speakers. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite closed 0.73% higher at 12,013.47 points. The benchmark S&P 500 added 0.57% to end at 4,050.83 points. The blue-chip Dow gained 0.43% to settle at 32,859.03 points.
Sentiment on Thursday was additionally helped by economic data which showed that the number of Americans filing for weekly jobless claims increased to 198K, higher than the expected figure of 196K. Also, the final estimate for U.S. Q4 GDP growth was revised downward to +2.6%.
New Zealand data – March consumer inflation expectations hit a 9 month high.
Coming up in the session: The February reading of the personal consumption expenditures price index will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET Friday.
Oil prices climbed in early Asian trade on Friday as sentiment was boosted by an expansion in factory activity in China, the world’s second largest crude consumer, and as concerns grew about Middle Eastern supply.
Brent futures, which have risen nearly 6% this week, were up 15 cents, or 0.19%, at $79.42 a barrel at 0146 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 rose 17 cents, or 0.23%, to $74.54, having gained about 8% this week.
Gold prices edged up on Friday, en route to their best monthly performance since July 2020, as the recent banking system crisis led to expectations of a less-aggressive U.S. Federal Reserve, making bullion an attractive bet.
Spot gold was up 0.1% at $1,981.59 per ounce, as of 0321 GMT. U.S. gold futures rose 0.1% to $1,982.00.
Spot silver was flat at $23.87 per ounce, platinum was also listless at $986.12, while palladium fell 0.5% to $1,457.39.
US futures higher. Dow Jones +0.04%; S&P 500 +0.14%; Nasdaq +0.20%.
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