Asian stocks are mixed, with the Japanese yen losing some of its gains after the latest U.S. update on inflation bolstered Wall Street’s belief that relief on interest rates may come as soon as September. U.S. futures and oil prices rose in Friday trading. The dollar lost 2.1% against the yen overnight, fueling speculation that Japanese authorities may have intervened to amplify the impact of the milder U.S. inflation data. Nearly 80% of the stocks in the S&P 500 climbed Thursday, and homebuilders, real-estate owners and other stocks that benefit the most from lower interest rates led the way. But slumps for Nvidia, Tesla and other influential stocks masked the underlying strength.
