Apple and Amazon Disappoint – Asia Market Wrap

Asian stocks climbed to the highest level in more than a month and US equity-index futures advanced Friday after China said it’s evaluating trade talks with the US, boosting optimism that tariff tensions will tamp down.

A regional gauge rose 1.5% as China assessed talks after senior US officials repeatedly expressed a willingness to discuss. Japanese shares rose 1.1% on positive comments from the country’s chief trade negotiator. Contracts for the S&P 500 and European stocks jumped. The MSCI EM Currency Index advanced 0.5% to a record high. Gold was set for its first back-to-back weekly loss this year while 10-year Treasuries fell.

The S&P 500 has gained for eight consecutive days, the longest run since August, amid increased optimism that trade tensions are waning since Trump announced century-high levies April 2. That sentiment faces a test as investors turn their attention to the US jobs report due today, the last piece of significant data this week, after disappointing earnings from Apple and Amazon.