Asian stocks rose, with a regional benchmark index heading for its fifth straight weekly advance, as fewer Americans than forecast filed claims for jobless benefits and after Spain and France sold bonds at lower yields.

Nikkei 225 8,766 +126.68 +1.47%

Hang Seng 20,110 +167.42 +0.84%

S&P/ASX 200 4,240 +24.86 +0.59%

Shanghai Composite 2,319 +23.04 +1.00%

Toyota Motor Corp. (7203), a Japanese carmaker that gets about 70 percent of its sales overseas, climbed 4.1 percent in Tokyo.

Japanese lenders rallied after the central bank said it will postpone the sale of shares purchased from financial institutions. HSBC Holdings Plc. (HSBA), Europe’s biggest bank by market value, advanced 3.4 percent in Hong Kong.

Li Ning Co., China’s No. 1 sportswear company, surged 7.1 percent after selling 750 million yuan ($119 million) of convertible bonds.