Global stocks scale record highs Friday, Asian equities rise for 5th straight session

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slipped 0.3 percent. Japan's Nikkei lost 0.2 percent, while South Korea's KOSPI dropped 0.8 percent and Australia <.AXJO> fell 1.4 percent (A pedestrian walks past an electric quotation board flashing the Nikkei key index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in front of a securities company in Tokyo on October 25, 2016. - AFP)

SINGAPORE: Global stocks scaled record highs on Friday, with Asian equities rising for the fifth straight session, as signs the Federal Reserve will pursue a gradual rate tightening path and hopes of a strong earnings season lifted appetite for risk assets.

The MSCI World Index was marginally higher early on Friday, hitting a new all-time high. It is on track to end the week 1.6 percent higher.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan advanced 0.25 percent to its highest level in two years. It's set for a 3.2 percent gain for the week.

Japan's Nikkei added 0.2 percent, poised for a weekly rise of 1.05 percent.

Wall Street ended with gains on Thursday, with the major indexes <.DJI> <.SPX> <.IXIC> up between 0.1 and 0.2 percent, as stocks basked in comments by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen that the central bank's rate hikes could be gradual, given persistently low inflation despite an improving economy.

Expectations that S&P 500 companies will report second-quarter earnings growth of 7.8 percent also supported stocks. Major banks, including JPMorgan Chase JPM.N, Citigroup C.N and Wells Fargo WFC.N, will report results on Friday.

In Asia, markets are also expecting strong earnings, particularly for many of the export-reliant firms benefiting from an upturn in global demand.

The dollar pulled up 0.1 percent to 113.4 yen early on Friday, narrowing losses for the week to 0.4 percent.

The dollar index <.DXY>, which tracks the greenback against a basket of trade-weighted peers, was up 0.1 percent at 95.828, on track for a 0.2 percent weekly decline.

"Yellen gave some hope to the dollar bulls with her acknowledgement of the improvements in the economy, but at the end of the day investors are still sceptical of what data is going to be like," said Kathy Lien, managing director at BK Asset Management in New York.

"That's why you have not seen much in the way of additional follow through in dollar demand."

The dollar was also supported by data showing the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell last week for the first time in a month and producer prices unexpectedly rose in June.

Investors are awaiting a host of U.S. economic indicators, including inflation, retail sales and industrial production for June later in the session for more insight into how the Fed might proceed with monetary policy tightening this year.

But political concerns in the U.S. may once again vex investors, as a revised Senate plan to dismantle Obamacare drew criticism from both Republican and Democratic senators.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who was forced two weeks ago to scrap a planned vote on an earlier version, has planned for a vote on the retooled bill next week.

The euro was marginally lower at $1.1393 early on Friday, after inching down 0.1 percent overnight, and is set to end the week 0.1 percent lower.

The European Central Bank is likely to signal in September that its bond-buying scheme will be gradually wound down next year and ECB chief Mario Draghi could give the next clue on the plans in late August, the Wall Street Journal said on Thursday.

The Canadian dollar remained near its strongest in over a year after the Bank of Canada this week raised interest rates for the first time since 2010, with further tightening expected this year.

The loonie was about 0.1 percent weaker early on Friday at C$1.2729 to the dollar but is up almost 1.1 percent this week.

In commodities, oil crept lower, but held most of the gains made on Thursday after data showed China's oil imports in the first half of 2017 were almost 14 percent higher than a year earlier.

U.S. crude slipped 0.15 percent to $46.02 a barrel, after rising 1.3 percent on Thursday. It is poised for a 4 percent gain this week.

Global benchmark Brent inched down 0.1 percent to $48.36 following Thursday's 1.4 percent jump, and is headed for a 3.6 percent gain this week.

Gold was flat on Friday at $1,217.59 an ounce, heading for a 0.4 percent gain for the week. - Reuters