Asian shares and U.S. futures were modestly higher Friday after U.S. regained more of their losses after a tumultuous several days.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 edged 0.2% higher to 53,800.28 after the Bank of Japan kept its key interest rate unchanged, as expected. The central bank just raised the policy rate to 0.75% in December. Wrapping up its policy meeting, it also slightly upgraded its estimates for future inflation and economic growth.
The Japanese yen fell against the U.S. dollar, which was trading at 158.64 yen, up from 158.42 yen.
“With underlying inflation price pressures remaining firm, we expect the Bank of Japan to resume its tightening cycle in the coming months,” Abhijit Surya of Capital Economics said in a commentary.
Chinese markets also saw moderate gains. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 0.3% to 26,718.13, while the Shanghai Composite index also was up 0.3%, at 4,133.58.
South Korea’s Kospi climbed 0.6% to 4,983.36. The benchmark had topped 5,000 for the first time on Thursday but fell back later in the day.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.2% higher to 8,862.20.
Taiwan’s Taiex jumped 0.8% and the Sensex in India was nearly unchanged.
On Thursday, the S&P 500 climbed 0.5% to 6,913.35, extending its rally after U.S. President Donald Trump called off tariffs on European countries that he said opposed his calls for U.S. control of Greenland.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.6% to 49,384.01, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.9% to 23,436.02.
Details were sparse about a deal on Greenland that Trump said he reached with the head of NATO, leaving investors wary of what’s to come. It’s not signed yet.
It was the latest example of Trump making a big, initial threat, only to pull back after a dramatic reaction in financial markets. The pattern has led to the “TACO” acronym, suggesting that “Trump Always Chickens Out” if markets react strongly enough. Tuesday’s drop for the U.S. stock marke