Asian shares
soared on Friday on news of a ceasefire accord in Ukraine, while
Sweden's surprise move to cut its main rate into negative territory and
hopes of a resolution between debt-strapped Greece and its creditors
burnished risk appetite.
MSCI's broadest index
of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 1.6 percent. Japan's Nikkei
slipped 0.4 percent but the broader Topix avoided losses.
The gains came after a rally in Europe and Wall Street, with the pan-European stock index hitting a seven-year high and the S&P 500 coming within striking distance of a record high.
The
Nasdaq also hit a 15-year high while the volatility index, a gauge of
investors' fear, fell to around 15.3 percent, its lowest level so far
this year.
Financial spreadbetters expected European markets to sustain gains, predicting Britain's FTSE 100 will open 0.2 percent higher, Germany's DAX up 1.0 percent, and France's CAC 40 up 0.5 percent.
"Investors feel more comfortable now as major sources of worries have been taken away," said Hirokazu Kabeya, senior strategist at Daiwa Securities.
Preliminary data due later in the day is expected to show stagnant growth in the euro zone, with economists forecasting 0.2 percent expansion in the final three months of last year, unchanged from the preceding quarter.
Meanwhile, a standoff between Greece and its European creditors on Greece's bailout program eased somewhat after Greece made an about-face on Thursday, agreeing to talk to the "troika" of international lenders.
While
doubts remain on how quickly they can reach any deal, Greek stocks rose
sharply, with the country's main index jumping 6.7 percent.
Adding to the positive mood, the Swedish central bank surprised investors by launching a stimulus program and cutting its main interest rate below zero.
The Swedish crown fell by as much 2 percent against the dollar to hit a six-year low of 8.5512 crowns, its weakest since April 2009, before recovering somewhat to 8.4350 to the dollar.
Meanwhile, a standoff between Greece and its European creditors on Greece's bailout program eased somewhat after Greece made an about-face on Thursday, agreeing to talk to the "troika" of international lenders.
While doubts remain on how quickly they can reach any deal, Greek stocks rose sharply, with the country's main index jumping 6.7 percent.
Adding to the positive mood, the Swedish central bank surprised investors by launching a stimulus program and cutting its main interest rate below zero.
The Swedish crown fell by as much 2 percent against the dollar to hit a six-year low of 8.5512 crowns, its weakest since April 2009, before recovering somewhat to 8.4350 to the dollar.
The gains came after a rally in Europe and Wall Street, with the pan-European stock index hitting a seven-year high and the S&P 500 coming within striking distance of a record high.
Financial spreadbetters expected European markets to sustain gains, predicting Britain's FTSE 100 will open 0.2 percent higher, Germany's DAX up 1.0 percent, and France's CAC 40 up 0.5 percent.
"Investors feel more comfortable now as major sources of worries have been taken away," said Hirokazu Kabeya, senior strategist at Daiwa Securities.
Preliminary data due later in the day is expected to show stagnant growth in the euro zone, with economists forecasting 0.2 percent expansion in the final three months of last year, unchanged from the preceding quarter.
Meanwhile, a standoff between Greece and its European creditors on Greece's bailout program eased somewhat after Greece made an about-face on Thursday, agreeing to talk to the "troika" of international lenders.
While
doubts remain on how quickly they can reach any deal, Greek stocks rose
sharply, with the country's main index jumping 6.7 percent.Adding to the positive mood, the Swedish central bank surprised investors by launching a stimulus program and cutting its main interest rate below zero.
The Swedish crown fell by as much 2 percent against the dollar to hit a six-year low of 8.5512 crowns, its weakest since April 2009, before recovering somewhat to 8.4350 to the dollar.
Meanwhile, a standoff between Greece and its European creditors on Greece's bailout program eased somewhat after Greece made an about-face on Thursday, agreeing to talk to the "troika" of international lenders.
While doubts remain on how quickly they can reach any deal, Greek stocks rose sharply, with the country's main index jumping 6.7 percent.
Adding to the positive mood, the Swedish central bank surprised investors by launching a stimulus program and cutting its main interest rate below zero.
The Swedish crown fell by as much 2 percent against the dollar to hit a six-year low of 8.5512 crowns, its weakest since April 2009, before recovering somewhat to 8.4350 to the dollar.
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