Asian stocks higher as investors watch corporate earnings

By JOE McDONALD
AP Business Writer

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets have followed Wall Street higher as investors wait for more U.S. corporate results to see how companies are coping with supply disruptions and the past quarter’s surge in coronavirus infections. Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney advanced. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index rose 0.3%, propelled by tech and consumer stocks. Health care giant Johnson & Johnson, United Airlines and streaming entertainment service Netflix were due to report earnings. Investors worry supply disruptions and anti-coronavirus controls are fueling inflation and might hamper an economic recovery. The Commerce Department was due to report U.S. housing construction in September.