The Australian dollar surged after employment data topped estimates by a wide margin
Mood was generally upbeat after US November payrolls showed enough of a recovery to assuage concerns of a slowdown
The S&P 500, Nasdaq and Dow all notched record highs overnight and bitcoin, at times a barometer of the mood, was back within a whisker of $100,000
The MSCI All-World index, which ended the day up 0.4 per cent on Tuesday, was flat on Wednesday, while European shares rallied 0.4 per cent and US stock index futures rose 0.2 per cent
Bond yields have soared since Donald Trump was elected back to the White House last week on expectations lower taxes
Crude ticked up slightly following its plunge on Monday on signs the war in the Middle East would not widen
Asian stocks were mostly higher Friday aside from in Japan, where investors were awaiting the outcome of an election on Sunday. US futures fell and oil prices rose. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who took office just weeks ago, called the snap general election to drum up support as the ruling Liberal Democrats grapple with a political funding scandal. Recent upheavals have added to uncertainty for markets, complicating the Bank of Japan's efforts to shift away from long-standing near-zero interest rates. Core inflation in Japan's capital was 1.8% in October, lower than the central bank's 2% target for the first time in five months, the government reported. That reinforced expectations that the central bank will keep its key interest rate unchanged at a policy meeting next week. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index lost 1% to 37,771.79, while the Japanese yen rose against the U.S. dollar. Early Friday, the dollar was trading at 151.64 yen, down from 151.89 yen. Hong Kong's Hang Seng a
Around 20 companies from Asia Pacific are listing shares next week in deals that may raise as much as $8.3 billion
US currency was also supported by recent market contemplation of a potential election victory for Donald Trump
Global bonds rallied after a surprisingly large drop in British inflation and as the European Central Bank is expected to announce its first back-to-back rate cut in 13 years
With more easing to come, investors are wagering on continued US economic growth
Extended holidays in China and South Korea made for thin trading conditions
Oil prices were steady in early trading after dropping in the previous sessions on weak demand and supply woes
Solid growth and resilience in the world's largest economy trumped investors' disappointment on Nvidia's underwhelming results
Investors now await US weekly jobless claims, which have gained prominence
Gold prices were just shy of a record peak, while the dollar firmed and the yen hovered near its highest
US stock futures similarly rose, with S&P 500 futures last up 0.02 per cent while Nasdaq futures advanced 0.12 per cent
Fed chair Jerome Powell speaks in Jackson Hole and investors assume he will acknowledge the case for a cut
Japan's Nikkei rose another 1.7 per cent on Friday, tracking a strong rebound on Wall Street overnight
Japan's Nikkei, tumbled 3 per cent as the strengthening yen clouded the outlook for the country's exporters