Asian shares were slightly higher Friday following a record high close on Wall Street, except for Japan, where a pause in the dollar’s strengthening dampened optimism about exporters.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 0.3 per cent to 20,305.04 in morning trading, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained nearly 0.1 per cent to 5,675.20.
South Korea’s Kospi stood at 2,386.05, up 0.5 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng edged up 0.2 per cent to 27,487.27, and the Shanghai Composite added 0.3 per cent to 3,348.66, reports AP.
The S&P 500 index rose 3.02 points, or 0.1 per cent, to a record high of 2,510.06 overnight. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 40.49 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 22,381.20.
The Nasdaq composite inched up 0.19 points to 6,453.45. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks continued to set new highs as it advanced 3.97 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 1,488.79.
Benchmark US crude slid 4 cents to $51.52 a barrel. It fell 58 cents to $51.56 a barrel in New York Thursday.
Brent crude, the standard for international oil prices, rose 7 cents to $57.23 per barrel in London.
The dollar dipped to 112.63 yen from 112.90 yen late Thursday in Asia. The euro rose to $1.1779 from $1.1735.
