Asia-Pacific markets rose on Friday, after the S&P 500 hit a record high on Thursday as U.S. President Donald Trump called for lower interest rates and cheaper oil.

Japan's core inflation rate rose to a 16-month high of 3% in December, year-on-year, adding to the case for a rate hike from the Bank of Japan.

The CPI announcement comes ahead of the Bank of Japan's monetary policy meeting later in the day. Market watchers expect the central bank to raise interest rates to their lowest level in 17 years

The country's benchmark Nikkei 225 index started the day up 0.31%.

South Korea's Kospi opened 0.62% higher, while the Kosdaq gained 0.07%.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.39%.

Meanwhile, Singapore's central bank eased its monetary policy at its meeting on Friday in line with market watchers' expectations given a rise in core inflation in December.

Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index were at 19,801, indicating a slightly stronger open compared with the HSI's close of 19,700.56. The index closed down 0.03% on Thursday, erasing gains made earlier in the week.

Overnight in the U.S., stocks ended higher as all three major indexes rose.

The S&P 500 gained 0.53%, hitting an intraday record high for the second straight session, ending the day at 6,118.71.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 408.34 points, or 0.92%, to 44,565.07, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.22% to 20,053.68. Thursday marked the fourth straight winning session for all three major indexes.(AL)

Source: CNBC