Protesting farmers use tractors to block the entrance of the Iraklio International Airport, Crete, Greece on Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012. The Cretan farmers, protesting pension cuts expected under new Greek austerity measures, attempted to block access to the airport, using tractors and other farm vehicles. Police used tear gas against the protesters who had gathered from across the island. (AP Photo/Bastian Parschau)
Protesting farmers use tractors to block the entrance of the Iraklio International Airport, Crete, Greece on Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012. The Cretan farmers, protesting pension cuts expected under new Greek austerity measures, attempted to block access to the airport, using tractors and other farm vehicles. Police used tear gas against the protesters who had gathered from across the island. (AP Photo/Bastian Parschau)
In this Monday, Sept. 10, 2012, photo, shoppers leave a store in Salem, N.H. Americans may have slowed their spending in September after splurging in the month before during the busy back-to-school shopping season. But most importantly, they are still spending. Still, given the economic and political uncertainty that weighs on many Americans right now, analysts say the results are an encouraging sign for stores as they head into what's traditionally the busiest shopping period of the year in November and December. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
BANGKOK (AP) ? Strong retail sales and a better-than-expected jobs report from the U.S. helped boost Asian stock markets Friday.
Government figures showing the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits for the first time rose to 367,000 last week. That was seen as good news, since it was fewer than economists had forecast.
"With factory orders and initial jobless claims beating consensus, concern about the US economic outlook eased," said analysts at Credit Agricole CIB in Hong Kong in an email commentary. Retail sales also beat forecasts, even though the 5.2 percent drop in orders was the biggest in more than three years.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 0.4 percent to 8,860.45. South Korea's Kospi added 0.3 percent to 1,997.84 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.2 percent to 20,958.21. Benchmarks in Taiwan and New Zealand also rose. Singapore's fell.
Later in the day, the Bank of Japan will announce the outcome of its two-day policy meeting. The central bank is widely expected to leave its monetary policy unchanged, Kyodo News reported.
The key event this week comes later Friday, when the U.S. Labor Department releases its monthly jobs report ? a key indicator of growth in the world's largest economy. Economists forecast that the unemployment rate inched up to 8.2 percent in September from 8.1 percent in August.
Benchmark oil for November delivery fell 17 cents to $91.54 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $3.57 to finish at $91.71 per barrel on the Nymex on Thursday.
In currencies, the euro fell to $1.3016 from $1.3018 late Thursday in New York. The dollar fell to 78.46 yen from 78.50 yen.
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