TOKYO -- Global stocks traded higher on Friday after a rally on Wall Street that pulled the S&The P 500 is once again within 1% of its record.
In London, the FTSE 100 rose 0.8% to 8,448.34 as the government reported that the British economy recovered strongly in the first three months of the year, ending what economists called a โtechnical recession.โ
France's CAC 40 gained 0.8% in early trading to 8,253.19, while Germany's DAX added 0.8% to 18,830.43.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average future gained 0.3% while the S&The P 500 rose 0.4%.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index rose 0.4% to finish at 38,229.11.
Japan's Finance Ministry reported a record current account surplus for the fiscal year through March, as strong auto exports narrowed its trade deficit and the nation racked up strong returns from overseas investments.
S from Australia&The P/ASX 200 rose 0.4% to 7,749.00 and South Korea's Kospi added 0.6% to 7,749.00.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 2.3% to 18,963.68, while the Shanghai Composite was little changed, inching up just under 0.1% to 3,154.55.
Chinese price data, due on Saturday, are being watched to see if the economy could be regaining momentum.
"Despite efforts, China has battled consumer deflation for about a year, presenting a formidable challenge that Beijing has yet to overcome," said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management.
On Thursday, the S&The P 500 rose 0.5% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.8%. The Nasdaq composite added 0.3%.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said last week that the central bank remains closer to cutting its main interest rate than raising it, despite a series of persistently high inflation readings this year.
A colder-than-expected jobs report on Friday suggested the U.S. economy could manage to avoid being too hot or too cold.
In other trading, benchmark U.S. crude rose 48 cents to $79.74 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the international standard, added 41 cents to $84.29 a barrel.
The US dollar rose to 155.71 Japanese yen from 155.50 yen.
The weak yen has been both a blessing and a worry for Japan, helping boost export earnings but reducing purchasing power.
Expectations are growing that the Bank of Japan will begin raising interest rates, although it is not yet clear to what extent or when. The US dollar was trading at 130 yen levels a year ago.
The euro slowly rose to $1.0786 from $1.0782.
