Stock market today: Asian stocks track Wall Street gains and Japan’s inflation slows

Asia markets are mostly advancing after Wall Street recouped most of the week’s earlier losses and Japan reported slowing inflation, which may keep its ultra-low interest rates steady. Indices in Japan, South Korea, Australia, Thailand and Taiwan rose Friday, while Shanghai and Hong Kong fell. U.S. futures and oil prices were mixed. Japan’s inflation slowed for a second straight month, increasing the chance that the Bank of Japan won't change interest rates at its meeting next week. On Thursday, the S&P 500 rose 0.9% following back-to-back drops to start the holiday-shortened week. The Dow Jones gained 0.5%, and the Nasdaq jumped 1.3%. Big Tech stocks led the way.