Tokyo — Asian shares flatlined on Friday but remained on track for a weekly gain, while crude oil prices pulled away from this week’s 10-month lows. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was nearly unchanged on the day, and was up 0.4% for the week. Japan’s Nikkei stock index added 0.1%, on track to log a rise of 1% for a week in which it touched its highest levels since August 2015. "The actual macro situation in Japan is pretty good," said Ed Rogers, head of Rogers Investment Advisors in Tokyo, who noted the country’s streak of five quarters of positive GDP numbers. He said the dollar remained bolstered against the yen by the Federal Reserve’s move to increase interest rates last week and leave the door open for further monetary tightening later in the year. "We’re not seeing global inflation, but we think the Fed will continue to move. That stone’s rolling down the hill," Rogers said. Longer term, that would support the dollar and underpin Japanese shares, he...
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