US-listed shares of foreign companies were led higher by Asian stocks on Friday after major stock markets in the region ended with strong gains. The BNY Mellon index of leading Asian ADRs rose 1.1 percent, while the BNY Mellon index of leading American Depository Receipts was flat. In comparison, the Standard & Poor's 500 index slipped 0.1 percent.
Among Japanese shares traded in the United State, Toyota Motor rose 3 percent to $71.19 and Honda Motor added 1.8 percent to $34.49. South Korea's POSCO, the world's third biggest steel maker, gained 1.2 percent to $91.48. In Japan, the Nikkei average closed at its highest level in more than two months on Friday, and South Korea's KOSPI index extended its rally to close near a six-month high.
Hong Kong and Shanghai shares rose, achieving a second straight week of gains and managing to break above stubborn chart resistance's on hopes of policy easing in China and on stronger overseas markets. The gains rounded off a strong last two weeks of the Year of Rabbit for both markets. These were fed by expectations of pro-growth policies from China during the Year of the Dragon, which begins on Monday. The BNY Mellon index of leading European ADRs fell 0.4 percent on worries on Greece, where a debt deal appeared to be close. The BNY Mellon index of leading Latin American ADRs fell 0.3 percent.