Stock market today: Asian shares track Wall Street rally as Japan's Nikkei nears a record high

Shares in Asia are higher, with Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index coming close to its record set 35 year ago. U.S. futures were lower after stocks on Wall Street set a fresh record following some mixed reports on the economy. The S&P 500 rose 0.6% Thursday, surpassing the all-time high it set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.9% and the Nasdaq composite added 0.3%. Treasury yields eased in the bond market after a report showed sales at U.S. retailers weakened by more last month than economists expected. That helped bolster hopes for cuts to interest rates from the Federal Reserve later this year.