Most of the Asian equity benchmarks are trading in green in the early deals on Friday, cheered by Wall Street gains after apparent progress on US tax legislation as investors waited for the Senate's vote, while higher US Treasury yields underpinned the dollar. The Japanese shares rose with a weaker yen boosting investor’ sentiments. However, the market pares gains as investors digest a raft of local economic data. Among the other Asian markets, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan are also higher. Bucking the trend, Shanghai and Hong Kong are edging lower. The markets in Malaysia and Indonesia are closed in observance of the birth of the prophet Muhammad.
Nikkei 225 added 112.2 points or 0.49% to 22,837.16, Straits Times gained 25.38 points or 0.74% to 3,458.92, Taiwan Weighted increased 89.64 points or 0.85% to 10,650.08, and KOSPI Index was up by 5.27 points or 0.21% to 2,481.64.
On the flip side, Hang Seng decreased 30.15 points or 0.1% to 29,147.20, and Shanghai Composite was down by 10.22 points or 0.31% to 3,306.97.