Shares in Asia are higher, with Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index coming close to its record set 35 year ago. U.S. futures were lower after stocks on Wall Street set a fresh record following some mixed reports on the economy. The S&P 500 rose 0.6% Thursday, surpassing the all-time high it set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.9% and the Nasdaq composite added 0.3%. Treasury yields eased in the bond market after a report showed sales at U.S. retailers weakened by more last month than economists expected. That helped bolster hopes for cuts to interest rates from the Federal Reserve later this year.
