Tokyo — Asian stocks edged up to record highs on Friday, although losses on Wall Street slowed the advance, while concern about a possible US government shutdown weighed on the dollar. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan added 0.3% to a record top. The index has climbed 1.2% this week, amid a surge in global equities. Optimism about the outlook for global economic growth and improved corporate earnings have helped share markets rally at the start of 2018. Supporting economic confidence, data released on Thursday showed China’s growth in 2017 accelerated for the first time in seven years. Australian stocks dipped 0.1%, South Korea’s Kospi was flat and Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.3%. Shanghai advanced 0.5%. "We are likely to see equity markets go through temporary adjustment phases. But in the longer term, it looks to be a good year for global markets," said Soichiro Monji, chief strategist at Daiwa SB Investments in Tokyo. "It is no longer about other markets followi...
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