Asian Shares Up On US Fiscal Hopes, Japan Data

Investors will also be looking at data from Asia on Friday and Saturday for signs that global growth deterioration may be abating.

Japan's industrial output unexpectedly rose 1.8 percent in October, up for the first time in four months, government data showed Friday, suggesting the effects of the global slowdown and a diplomatic spat with China may have run their course.

Later on Friday, India will report its third-quarter gross domestic product at 0530 GMT and China will release the official manufacturing PMI for November on Saturday.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.1 percent on Friday, after rising 1.1 percent to close at its highest level in nearly nine months on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Australian shares gained 0.5 percent to a fresh three-week high, helped by firmer base metals prices and a higher close on Wall Street.

South Korean shares opened down 0.1 percent.

Japan's Nikkei advanced 0.7 percent to 9,464.43, trading comfortably above its five-day moving average at 9,396.75 after moving back and forth between positive and negative territories in early trade.

Analysts told Reuters sentiment remains positive for earnings for bellwether Japanese exporters as the dollar holds above 82 yen, but volume may be subdued due to the fast-paced rise in the market and uncertainty surrounding U.S. budget talks.

The dollar was steady against the yen at 82.13, not very far from a 7-1/2-month high of 82.84 yen hit last week.

The euro steadied around $1.2974 after peaking at $1.3015 on Thursday, its highest level since Oct. 31. After global lenders earlier in the week agreed to unblock more aid to debt-stricken Greece, borrowing concerns for other indebted countries such as Spain and Italy eased substantially.

Italy's 10-year bond yield hit its lowest in two years at an auction on Thursday.

U.S. crude futures fell 0.5 percent to $87.64 a barrel, after they rose the previous day on optimism over the U.S. budget talks and escalating violence and political tension in Syria and Egypt which stoked fear of oil supply disruptions.