Asian Markets Track Wall St To Extend Fed-fuelled Rally

Asian markets built on the previous day's rally Friday as investors recalibrated their outlook for the new year after the Federal Reserve indicated it will cut interest rates.

The bank's more-dovish-than-expected pivot at this week's policy meeting has set up equities for a Santa rally, with a string of data suggesting inflation in the world's top economy was being tamed while avoiding recession.

Now the debate turns to when the first cut will be and how many there will be, with some experts suggesting there will be more than the three envisaged in the Fed's "dot plot" -- JPMorgan economists see five.

The prospect of borrowing conditions being easier next year helped push the Dow to a second straight record high Thursday, while the S&P 500 is just shy of its own all-time peak.

And Asia continued the strong momemtum, with optimism boosted by news that China had injected more cash than expected into the financial system.

Hong Kong led the advances, surging more than three percent, while Shanghai was also on the rise.

Tokyo rebounded from the previous day's loss as the yen's rally against the dollar faded, with Sydney, Seoul, Taipei and Manila also in the green.

Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management warned that while the outlook for stocks was good, the latest rally may see a slight pullback.

"A temperature check is bound to occur with so many folks thinking the market has gotten too far over its skis on the pace of rate cuts," he wrote in a note.

"That said, with $6 trillion of dry powder sitting in money market funds that might be champing at the bit to take the plunge into stocks, it should, at minimum, keep short sellers wary."

On currency markets, the dollar edged up against the yen after diving Wednesday in reaction to the Fed's plans to soften rates.

Dealers are now keenly awaiting the Bank of Japan's policy decision next week after boss Kazuo Ueda suggested officials could soon move away from their ultra-loose policy.

The yen soared on bets that Tokyo was about to tighten just as the Fed was going in the other direction, though officials later sought to dampen expectations.

Oil prices continued to rise after Thursday's rally of more than three percent as traders were swept up in the positive momentum.

The gains were also helped by figures showing a dip in US stockpiles, though there is a concern that demand will fall short of supplies as the United States continues to pump and questions remain over OPEC's pledge to tighten the taps.

Key figures around 0230 GMT

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.2 percent at 33,080.37 (break)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 3.2 percent at 16,920.70

Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.5 percent at 2,972.84

Dollar/yen: DOWN at 142.35 yen from 141.87 yen on Thursday

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0986 from $1.0996

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2756 from $1.2764

Euro/pound: DOWN at 86.10 pence from 86.12 pence

West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.2 percent at $71.73 per barrel

Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.2 percent at $76.78 per barrel

New York - Dow: UP 0.4 percent at 37,248.35 (close)

London - FTSE 100: UP 1.3 percent at 7,648.98 (close)

Source: AFP