GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian Shares Track Wall Street Higher, Yen Weak Ahead of Japan Vote

GLOBAL MARKET - SYDNEY. Asian shares tracked Wall Street higher on Friday as still-strong U.S. economic data and robust corporate earnings offset tariff worries, while the yen headed toward a second successive week of loss ahead of Japan's upper house election.

Overnight, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq again closed at record highs as U.S. data including retail sales and jobless claims beat forecasts, indicating a modest improvement in the economy that should give the Federal Reserve time to gauge the inflation impact from higher U.S. tariffs.