Asian stock markets were mostly higher Friday was better than expected U.S. jobs data boosted investor confidence, but Japan's benchmark fell unwelcome drop in consumer prices.
U.S. stocks closed higher on Thursday after a U.S. government report the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits last week, a decrease of 16,000, indicating that the company is cutting fewer jobs and rising employment growth may be headed. Analysts said the strong U.S. corporate earnings also lifted market sentiment.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.9 percent, to 22,591.45. Australia's S & P / ASX 200 index rose 0.2 percent, to 5,112.60. Benchmarks in Singapore, Taiwan and New Zealand also rose. South Korea's Kospi index fell 0.2 percent, to 1,948.25.
However, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index fell after a five-year high, Japan's consumer price index in March compared with the same period last year fell 0.9%. The results are flies in the face of the efforts of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office in December, vowing to reverse the long-Round deflation, or falling prices, undermine economic growth.
Nikkei Index in the morning and hit the intraday highest level of 13,983.87 five years, fell by 0.4 percent, to 13,867.23.
Growth figures for the United Kingdom announced on Thursday a surprise relief analysts predict that Britain will fall into its third recession in five years. In contrast, the gross domestic product (GDP) for the first quarter of 2013 compared with the previous quarter growth of 0.3%.
Wall Street posted modest gains Wednesday on the heels of the U.S. Department of Labor report shows that Americans seeking unemployment benefits the number of seasonally adjusted 339,000 last week, down the second least five or more. Decline showed that layoffs have declined, employment growth is likely to pick up from last month's pace is slow.
Companies reporting earnings, children's clothing manufacturer Carter, motorcycle manufacturer Harley - Davidson and Royal Caribbean cruise report higher profits and income, like 3M, Scotch tape and construction equipment manufacturers.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.2 percent to 14,700.80 points. Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 0.4% to 1,585.16. The Nasdaq composite index rose 0.6% to 3,289.99
In electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, benchmark crude for June delivery fell 21 cents to $ 93.43 a barrel. The contract rose $ 2.21, to close at $ 93.64 on the New York Mercantile Exchange in on Thursday.
In currencies, the euro rose to $ 1.3033 from $ 1.3002 late Thursday in New York. The dollar fell to 98.93 yen from 99.31 yen.
 



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