Asian Stocks Finish Higher

Updated from 12:52 a.m. EST

Stocks in Asia closed higher Friday on light volume buoyed by gains on Wall Street that have stretched to four straight days.

U.S. markets were closed Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average rose 1.7% to 8512.27. Japan's government reported the country's industrial production fell 3.1% in October from the previous month, as the global slowdown forced companies to cut output. The country's unemployment rate stood at 3.7% in October, down slightly from the month before.

Shares of Panasonic(PC Quote) were lower as the consumer electronics maker slashed its earnings forecast.

The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong rose 2%, while the S&P/ASX 200 index in Australia finished higher by 4.3%.

Stocks in India edged lower after a one-day suspension of trading because of terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the country's financial center, that left at least 119 people dead. The benchmark Sensex index fell 0.4%.

Across Asia, the Mumbai attacks -- as well as Bangkok's airport shutdown, which entered its fourth day -- did little to dampen improving investor sentiment. Thailand's SET index rose about 2%.

Stocks in Europe were trading slightly lower. The FTSE 100 index in London fell 0.04%, while the DAX in Frankfurt was trading down by 0.03%. Shares of STMicroelectronics(STM Quote) declined as the chipmaker reduced its fourth-quarter revenue forecast.

Premarket futures in the U.S. have reversed course from earlier and are now indicating a higher open for stocks on Wall Street Friday. S&P 500 futures rose 0.40 points to 889.90, and were 3.07 points above fair value. Nasdaq futures rose 1.75 points to 1196.75, and were trading 3.39 points above fair value.