Investing.com - Asian stocks rose Friday on the back of a strong rally on Wall Street, while gains in Tokyo were supported by the dollar's strength against the Japanese yen.
The Nikkei 225 was up 1.1% after the dollar traded at its strongest levels in two weeks against the yen. Japanese exporters gain from a weaker yen, which boosts their profits from overseas markets.
Korea's Kospi was down 0.4%, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.2%.
Overnight, U.S. stocks rose amid applause for upbeat U.S. earnings and data, though fresh Ebola concerns trimmed earlier gains later in the session.
At the close of U.S. trading, the Dow 30 rose 1.32%, the S&P 500 index rose 1.23%, while the NASDAQ Composite index rose 1.60%.
The Department of Labor reported earlier that the number of individuals in the U.S. filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending Oct. 18 increased by 17,000 to 283,000, broadly in line with forecasts.
The four-week average fell to 281,000, the lowest since May 2000, while continuing claims, which includes those receiving benefits for at least a second month in a row, also hit a 14-year low, of 2.35 million, which boosted stock prices.
On Friday, the U.S. is to round up the week with a report on new home sales.