• Stocks in Asia were set to open higher after US shares climbed and Treasuries sold off as investors weighed fresh data that indicated further Federal Reserve tightening ahead.
• Australia stocks rose while futures for Japanese and Hong Kong equities gained ground. The S&P 500 climbed 0.3% to close at its session high while the Nasdaq 100 ended the day 0.8% higher.
• The action echoed trading in the prior session as signs of a robust US economy that would compel a hawkish Fed response were shrugged off by equity investors. US retail sales in January jumped by the most in almost two years and homebuilder sentiment rose in February by the most since mid-2020.