Asian stocks rose on Friday, with Japan"s benchmark index reaching new five-month highs amid reports that the Federal Reserve was pledging more liquidity to prop up the financial markets. Asian Markets Rise
Stocks across the Asia-Pacific region rose in the final session of the week. Tokyo"s benchmark Nikkei rallied 0.4% and was on track for its highest settlement since late April. The Nikkei is up 6.9% over the past month and 10.6% since the start of 2019. Japan"s Nikkei 225 is closing in on new five-month highs. | Chart: Yahoo Finance
Mainland China"s CSI 300 Index rose 0.2%. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index also rose 0.2%. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index rallied 0.3%.
The ASX 200 Index, Australia"s primary equities benchmark, was up 0.6% midday. Fed Carries Out Third Repo Operation; Plans Fourth
The Federal Reserve stepped into the financial markets again on Thursday in another desperate attempt to keep short-term interest rates from rocketing higher.
For a third straight day, the New York Federal Reserve Bank conducted a repurchase operation to ensure local banks have enough liquidity to finance their day-to-day operations. The Thursday repo operation was valued at$75 billion, matching Wednesday"s level and much higher than the $53 billion pledged on Tuesday. All said, the U.S. central bank has injected $203 billion into the markets this week.
Anthony Pompliano, a renowned bitcoin bull and opponent of central-banking, tweeted late Thursday that the New York Fed was planning a fourth repo operation on Friday worth $75 billion.
"That will be more than $275 billion total in four days this week," he said.
Prior to this week, the Fed"s last repo operations came in the aftermath of the 2008-09 financial crisis. U.S. Stock Futures Edge Higher
Futures on U.S. equities traded slightly higher on Friday, pointing to a modest start to the New York session. Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) futures were up 26 points, or 0.1%. S&P 500 futures advanced 0.1%. The Nasdaq 100 mini futures contract was also up 0.2%. This article was edited by Sam Bourgi.