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Asian Shares were mostly higher on Friday after mixed moves wall streetPresident Donald Trump’s comments about increasing defense spending spurred gains in military-related stocks.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index rose 1.1% to 51,692,70 points. shares Fast Retailing, the fashion company behind Uniqlo, saw its quarterly operating profit soar about 34% year-on-year, and its stock price rose more than 7%. It raised its full-year forecast.
Hong Kong Hang Seng The Shanghai Composite rose less than 0.1% to 26,158.21 and the Shanghai Composite rose 0.3% to 4,095.33 after official data showed China’s inflation picked up in December and rose at its fastest pace in nearly three years. This indicates improving demand, which tends to push prices higher.
Chinese artificial intelligence startup MiniMax listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Friday, with its shares soaring more than 50% in early trading.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 index fell less than 0.1% to 8,715.60 points. Rio Tinto shares fell 6% after mining group Rio Tinto confirmed it was in preliminary merger talks with Glencore in a deal that could create the world’s largest mining company.
South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.7% to 4,582.95 points, while the Taiwan Stock Exchange rose 0.3%.
Investors are watching the Labor Department’s December monthly employment report on Friday, which may provide a more comprehensive look at the U.S. job market. The Supreme Court is also expected to make a possible ruling on Trump’s far-reaching “Emancipation Day” tariffs on Friday, which could boost sentiment.
Defense industry companies rose on Wall Street on Thursday after the president’s appointment Donald Trump Said he hopes to increase U.S. military spending to $1.5 trillion in 2027. L3Harris Technologies rose 5.2%, Lockheed Martin gained 4.3% and Northrop Grumman gained 2.4%.
Other moves on Wall Street were more muted, after early optimism faded slightly on Wednesday. The S&P 500 rose less than 0.1% to 6,921.46. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose nearly 0.6% to 49,266.11 points; the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.4% to 23,480.02 points.
Data released by the United States on Thursday showed that the number of initial jobless claims rose slightly in the last week of 2025 and remained at a historically low level, in line with economists’ expectations. But worker productivity picked up in the July-September quarter.
In other trading early Friday, oil prices rose after a tumultuous week after Trump ousted Venezuela’s leader. U.S. benchmark crude oil rose 35 cents to $58.11 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 38 cents to $62.37.
Supply concerns remain. Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves, and the United States has been trying to control its oil resources. This week, the United States seized two more oil tankers, including one flying a Russian flag, which it said circumvented a blockade of sanctioned tankers around Venezuela.
The dollar-yen exchange rate rose to 157.27 yen from 156.80 yen.
The euro fell to $1.1656 against the dollar from $1.1661.
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AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed.