• The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 6.24 points, or 0.03 percent, to 20,981.33, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 1.32 points, or 0.06 percent, to 2,388.77 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 23.71 points, or 0.39percent, to 6,048.94.
The Nasdaq Composite ended at a record high on Thursday, boosted by results-related gains in Comcast, PayPal and Intuit, while the S&P 500 and the Dow were little changed.
• U.S. businesses would mostly benefit if President Donald Trump's plan to cut corporate tax rates and slash taxes on cash parked overseas becomes law. But the economic benefits and the timing of a possible bill remain in question.
• Asian stocks inched higher on Friday and looked set to close a strong week on a positive note, while the euro slipped after the European Central Bank showed no signs of paring its stimulus program.
• MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was up 0.1 percent, putting it on pace to end the week up 1.9 percent, which would be its best week in six. Earlier in the week, it hit an almost two-year high.
• Japan's Nikkei .N225 fell 0.1 percent as March industrial output and household spending fell more than expected and consumer inflation remained tepid. But the index was poised for a 3.3 percent weekly gain, its strongest since November.
Reference: Reuters
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