The Asian equity benchmarks are trading higher on Friday, as the upbeat US economic data and hopes of a thaw in the US-China trade war boosted risk appetite among investors. Moreover, optimism in the markets as they awaited key central bank meetings, including the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan, later this week. Japan's Nikkei is advancing on positive cues from Wall Street with the weaker yen. Among the other Asian markets, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Shanghai, Malaysia and Indonesia are in territory.
Nikkei 225 up 131.27 points or 0.62% to 21,217.21, Straits Times rose 10.48 points or 0.33% to 3,157.54, Hang Seng enlarged 157.07 points or 0.59% to 26,672.60, Taiwan Weighted gained 31.09 points or 0.29% to 10,788.02, KOSPI Index increased 3.25 points or 0.16% to 2,008.00, Shanghai rose 4.77 points 0.16% to 2,990.63, Jakarta Composite higher by 13.63 points or 0.22% to 6,320.43, and FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI rose 2.54 points or 0.16% to 1,602.29.
