(RTTNews) - Friday, the New Zealand dollar soared to a 2-day high against its U.S. and European counterparts as a gain in stocks boosted demand for higher-yielding currencies. The kiwi also showed strength against the yen, while it recovered from a new multi-month low against the Aussie. Asian markets advanced today on the back of Wall Street's rally after upbeat economic figures revived confidence about the state of the U.S. economy. Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average climbed 0.74%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1.7%, South Korea's Kospi rose 1.3%. New Zealand's benchmark NZX-50 index closed up 15.656 points, or 0.45%, at 3160.163. Markets in Australia, India, Singapore, Taiwan, China and Indonesia also rose. Asian stocks are sensitive to movements in the U.S., the world's biggest economy and a key trading partner for the region and often follow big swings on Wall Street. Thursday's spark was news from the U.S. government that recently laid off workers seeking jobless benefits fell last week to the lowest level since January, comforting investors ahead of a key monthly jobs report due Friday. Signs U.S. retail sales were on the rise also helped relieve worries about the health of American consumers that have dogged investors in recent months. Crude prices rose in Asia as the surge in stock markets boosted oil investors' appetite for risk. Benchmark crude for December delivery was up 47 cents to $80.09 a barrel. The contract fell 78 cents overnight. Gold rose $2.6, or about 0.3 percent, to $1,091.9 an ounce. The New Zealand dollar, which closed yesterday's trading at 0.7218 against the U.S. currency rose to a 2-day high of 0.7256 in early deals on Friday. The next upside target level for the kiwi-greenback pair is seen at 0.731. During early trading on Friday, the New Zealand dollar climbed to a 2-day high of 2.050 against the euro. This may be compared to Thursday's close of 2.0616. On the upside, 2.034 is seen as the next target level for the NZ currency. The New Zealand dollar advanced against the yen in early deals on Friday. At 2:25 am ET, the kiwi-yen pair reached 65.71, up from yesterday's close of 65.54. If the pair gains further, it may target the 66.5 level. The Japanese leading index rose to 86.4 in September from 83.2 in August, a preliminary report from Cabinet Office showed today. Theleading index improved for the seventh consecutive month and stood above the expected level of 86.2.

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