- Cummins back, Marsh and Head out of Pakistan ODI series
- Shanghai stocks swing after stimulus briefing as most of Asia rises
- New Zealand's Latham promises 'no fear' as he takes charge for India Tests
- Kyrgios vows to 'shut up' doubters with December comeback
- Public hearings start into death of Brit by Russian nerve agent
- Ex-Stasi officer faces verdict over 1974 Berlin border killing
- Role of government, poverty research tipped for economics Nobel
- 'Stolen satire' feeds US election misinformation
- Rookie McCarty captures first PGA Tour title in Black Desert Championship
- Australia all-rounder Green ruled out of India Test series
- Seeing double in Nigeria's 'twins capital of the world'
- UK FM to attend EU foreign affairs talks for first time in 2 years
- Carter, Billups among 13 new Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
- Ravens rip Commanders as Lions lose NFL sacks leader in win
- Hezbollah drone strike kills four, wounds dozens at Israeli base
- China says launches military drills around Taiwan
- Stewart leads Liberty past Lynx to level WNBA Finals
- England return to winning ways in Nations League, Austria thrash Norway
- UN chief says attacks on UNIFIL 'may constitute a war crime'
- Ravens outlast Commanders while Bucs batter Saints in NFL
- Dozens hurt in Israel as Hezbollah claims drone strike
- England deserve 'world class' coach: Carsley
- Burkina Faso win to become first qualifiers for 2025 AFCON
- AC Milan's Pulisic among five out for USA match in Mexico
- France's Amandine Henry retires from international football
- Centre-left set to win pro-Ukraine Lithuania's vote
- India's World Cup hopes in Pakistan hands after Australia defeat
- Zelensky says NKorea sending troops to Russian army
- England beat Finland to get back on track
- King and Lewis propel West Indies to T20 triumph over Sri Lanka
- Pre-Halloween 'Terrifier' lands atop North America box office
- 'I still plan to compete and play next season,' says Djokovic
- Harris, Trump seek advantage in knife-edge election battle
- Chepngetich shatters women's marathon world record in Chicago
- Kamindu and Asalanka power Sri Lanka to 179 against West Indies
- Chepngetich shatters women's marathon world record as Korir wins in Chicago
- Spain send injured Yamal home 'to prioritise player's health'
- In milestone, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Iraq walks fine line with pro-Iran factions to avoid war
- Race four abandoned after New Zealand breeze into 3-0 lead in America's Cup
- West Indies win toss, put Sri Lanka in to bat in first T20
- Sudan rescuers say air strike killed 23 in Khartoum market
- Netanyahu tells UN to move Lebanon peacekeepers out of 'harm's way'
- Bangladeshi Hindus defy attack worries to celebrate festival
- Kiwis three up in America's Cup as Ineos pay for time penalty
- In a first, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Dominant England crush Scotland at Women's T20 World Cup
- Dropped: The rise and fall of Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam
- Israel fights Hezbollah on the ground, pounds Lebanon from the air
- Sabalenka outlasts local hero Zheng to win third Wuhan Open title
Asian markets track Wall St to extend Fed-fuelled rally
Asian markets built on the previous day's rally Friday as investors recalibrated their outlook for the new year after the Federal Reserve indicated it will cut interest rates.
The bank's more-dovish-than-expected pivot at this week's policy meeting has set up equities for a Santa rally, with a string of data suggesting inflation in the world's top economy was being tamed while avoiding recession.
Now the debate turns to when the first cut will be and how many there will be, with some experts suggesting there will be more than the three envisaged in the Fed's "dot plot" -- JPMorgan economists see five.
The prospect of borrowing conditions being easier next year helped push the Dow to a second straight record high Thursday, while the S&P 500 is just shy of its own all-time peak.
And Asia continued the strong momemtum, with optimism boosted by news that China had injected more cash than expected into the financial system.
Hong Kong led the advances, surging more than three percent, while Shanghai was also on the rise.
Tokyo rebounded from the previous day's loss as the yen's rally against the dollar faded, with Sydney, Seoul, Taipei and Manila also in the green.
Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management warned that while the outlook for stocks was good, the latest rally may see a slight pullback.
"A temperature check is bound to occur with so many folks thinking the market has gotten too far over its skis on the pace of rate cuts," he wrote in a note.
"That said, with $6 trillion of dry powder sitting in money market funds that might be champing at the bit to take the plunge into stocks, it should, at minimum, keep short sellers wary."
On currency markets, the dollar edged up against the yen after diving Wednesday in reaction to the Fed's plans to soften rates.
Dealers are now keenly awaiting the Bank of Japan's policy decision next week after boss Kazuo Ueda suggested officials could soon move away from their ultra-loose policy.
The yen soared on bets that Tokyo was about to tighten just as the Fed was going in the other direction, though officials later sought to dampen expectations.
Oil prices continued to rise after Thursday's rally of more than three percent as traders were swept up in the positive momentum.
The gains were also helped by figures showing a dip in US stockpiles, though there is a concern that demand will fall short of supplies as the United States continues to pump and questions remain over OPEC's pledge to tighten the taps.
- Key figures around 0230 GMT -
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.2 percent at 33,080.37 (break)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 3.2 percent at 16,920.70
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.5 percent at 2,972.84
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 142.35 yen from 141.87 yen on Thursday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0986 from $1.0996
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2756 from $1.2764
Euro/pound: DOWN at 86.10 pence from 86.12 pence
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.2 percent at $71.73 per barrel
Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.2 percent at $76.78 per barrel
New York - Dow: UP 0.4 percent at 37,248.35 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 1.3 percent at 7,648.98 (close)
C.Garcia--AMWN