Global stocks held firm near record highs on Friday as receding inflation fears in the United States pushed down bond yields and lifted Wall Street, though softness in Chinese shares capped gains in Asia.
MSCI's broadest gauge of world stocks set a record high earlier in the Asian session and last stood almost flat.
Japan's Topix gained 0.6% and Australian stocks hovered near a more than one-year top, while South Korea's Kospi touched the highest intraday level since mid-February.