Asian Equities Climb as Moderating US Inflation Tempers Fed Rate Hike Bets

Asian stock markets saw gains on Friday, August 14, as fresh evidence of moderating US inflation eased concerns about further interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve. This sentiment, coupled with a rally in technology stocks, propelled MSCI's Asia-Pacific equities gauge up by 0.5 percent, marking its fourth consecutive weekly advance. South Korea's Kospi Index led the regional gains with a 1 percent increase.