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Crowded and busy Ameyoko shopping street in Tokyo, Japan
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Asia markets mostly rose Friday after Wall Street rose overnight as investors assessed Big Tech earnings.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 started the day up 0.16%, while the broader Topix index rose 0.11%.
The Tokyo consumer price index, excluding fresh food, rose 2.5% year on year in January, compared with 2.4% in the previous month. The latest reading is in line with Reuters' estimates.
Japan's unemployment rate for December fell to 2.4% from 2.5% in the previous month, missing Reuters estimates of 2.5%.
Meanwhile, Japan's retail sales for December climbed 3.7% from the previous year, while its industrial output figures for December grew at 0.3%, month on month, ifrom the 2.2% drop in the month before.
South Korean markets opened lower, after a four-day break. The Kospi started the day 0.97% lower while the small-cap Kosdaq lost 0.46%.
Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.71%.
The country's producer price index rose 3.7% through the year to the December 2024 quarter, data released on Friday from the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed.
Hong Kong and Chinese markets remain closed for the Lunar New Year holiday.
Overnight in the U.S., all three major indexes rose.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 168.61 points, or 0.38%, closing at 44,882.13. At its session highs, it had added nearly 300 points. The S&P 500 rose 0.53% to 6,071.17, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.25% to end at 19,681.75.
Stocks cut gains late in the session after U.S. President Donald Trump announced his intentions to implement 25% tariffs U.S. imports from Canada and Mexico.
— CNBC's Lisa Kailai Han and Sean Conlon contributed to this report.
Japan's retail sales growth hit a six-month high in December, with 3.7% year-on-year rise
Japan's retail sales for December 2024 climbed 3.7% year on year to hit a six-month high, according to data from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
The latest reading surpasses the 3.2% year on year rise forecast by Reuters and 2.8% increase in the previous month.
— Amala Balakrishner
Tokyo CPI climbs 3.4% year on year in January, from 3% the month before
Tokyo consumer price index for January climbed 3.4% year on year, from 3% the month before, according to data released by the Statistics Bureau of Japan on Friday.
The Tokyo consumer price index, excluding fresh food, rose 2.5% year on year in January, compared with 2.4% in the previous month. The latest reading is in line with Reuters' estimates.
Tokyo inflation data is considered a key indicator of overall growth in prices in Japan.
— Amala Balakrishner
Dollar jumps after Trump threatens tariffs on Mexico, Canada
The U.S. dollar rose against other currencies Thursday afternoon after President Trump said he would impose a 25% tariff on Mexico and Canada.
The ICE U.S. Dollar Index turned positive on the day after the comments, trading at 108.07. The index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, was trading near 107.76 before the remarks.
The dollar rose late Thursday afternoon after President Trump announced his latest tariff intentions.
The dollar also rose against the Canadian dollar and Mexican peso individually.
— Jesse Pound
Stocks cut gains after Trump says he will put 25% tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico
The major averages cut gains late in the day after President Donald Trump said he would slap a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada, two key U.S. trade partners.
The Dow, which was up nearly 300 points at one point, briefly turned negative before rebounding. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq were also off their highs.
— Fred Imbert
Information technology sector tracking for worst weekly performance since September
The S&P Information Technology Sector was trading 1% lower on Thursday, leading the index's declines for the day.
The sector is also the worst performing of the week, down 4% and on pace for its worst weekly performance since September 2024. Tech remains the sole negative sector so far this year.
Nvidia, down 16% on the week, leads the sector's declines. Super Micro Computer, Teradyne, ServiceNow and Arista Networks are all down 11% or more on the week.
— Nick Wells, Lisa Kailai Han
Tech leads weekly losses
Information technology is down 4.5% week to date, making it the biggest decliner in the S&P 500 during the period.
Nvidia's 16.1% drop during the period has led the sector lower. Fellow chipmaker Super Micro Computer has sold off nearly 15%, followed by Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Juniper Networks down around 13% each.
Utilities and industrials have dropped more than 1% for the week, while energy has shed 0.9%.
Meanwhile, consumer staples has outperformed the broader market. The sector is up 2.8%, led by J.M. Smucker, Kroger and Costco, which have jumped more than 4% each.
— Hakyung Kim
English (US)