Asia stocks lifted by strength in U.S. jobs data

Asian stocks rose Friday following an upbeat employment report in the U.S.

Japan's Nikkei 225 (JP:NIK) rose 0.6% to 15,437.13, closing at a fresh five-month high. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO)  rose 0.6% to 5,525.00 Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI)  edged up 0.1% to 23,546.36.

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China's President Xi Jinping and South Korea's President Park Geun-Hye wrapped up a two-day state visit in Seoul. The WSJ's Ramy Inocencio speaks with Yongsei University's Chung-in Moon about a free-trade deal and North Korean denuclearization.

A thinly traded session ahead of the U.S. Independence Day holiday kept price gains in check. More action was seen in the region's currency markets, with the Malaysian ringgit jumping to its highest this year following a strong exports report.

The currency climbed as much as 0.4% to touch 3.1790 against the dollar, its strongest since Nov. 20. It was trading at 3.1850 late in the Asian day.

Data released Thursday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed U.S. employers added 288,000 jobs in June, exceeding the 215,000 economists expected. The unemployment rate also unexpectedly fell to 6.1% in June from 6.3% a month earlier.

The rosy report sent U.S. stocks to another record high for the year, lifting the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) above 17000 for the first time. The Dow closed up 0.5% at 17,068.26 while the broader S&P 500 (SPX) rose 0.5% to 1,985.44, its 25th record high of 2014.

Fiona Law contributed to this article.

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