Most of the Asian equity indices are trading higher in the early deals on Friday on relief that President Donald Trump's tariffs on US steel and aluminum imports may not be as harsh as earlier feared. Geopolitical tensions also eased following news that Trump has agreed to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by May. Investors now look ahead to the Bank of Japan's interest rate decision and the closely watched US monthly jobs report due later in the day. Japanese stocks rose to a more than one-week high, tracking broader gains across Asian equities, as tensions over North Korea eased after US President Donald Trump agreed to a meeting with Kim Jong Un that could come before May. Among the other Asian markets, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Shanghai, and Malaysia are higher. Bucking the trend, Indonesia is in negative territory.
Nikkei 225 added 80.87 points or 0.38% to 21,448.94, Hang Seng rose 260.34 points or 0.85% to 30,914.86, Straits Times gained 7.43 points or 0.21% to 3,487.87, Taiwan Weighted strengthen 34.21 points or 0.32% to 10,857.45, KOSPI Index spurt 23.59 points or 0.97% to 2,456.67, Shanghai Composite increased 4.55 points or 0.14% to 3,292.96, and FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI up by 3.58 points or 0.19% to 1,843.20.
On the flip side, Jakarta Composite was down by 29.33 points or 0.46% to 6,413.70.
