Most Asian stocks rise as investors eye trade talks

EQUITIES mostly rose yesterday following a record-breaking day on Wall Street as investors kept tabs on countries' efforts to strike trade deals with the US before a key deadline next week.

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And the dollar weakened on growing expectations for more interest rate cuts, while eyes were on US President Donald Trump's signature tax-cutting bill now inching towards a Senate vote that some experts warn could add trillions of dollars to the national debt.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq finished at all-time peaks on Friday amid optimism governments will be able to avoid swingeing tariffs imposed by the US president in April and paused until July 9 to allow for negotiations.

Officials from Japan and India have extended their stays in Washington to continue talks, raising hopes for agreements with two of the world's biggest economies.

Hopes that the deadline could be extended were boosted on Friday by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who told Fox Business "we have countries approaching us with very good deals" but they might not all be finalised by next week.