Stock market today: Asian shares advance ahead of U.S. inflation report

Asian shares have advanced as traders look ahead to a key report on inflation that could influence the Federal Reserve’s next move on interest rates. U.S. futures were mixed and oil prices rose. In Japan, the government reported industrial output was higher than expected and the unemployment rate stayed at 2.6% in May. On Thursday, the S&P 500 edged up 0.1% and the Nasdaq composite added 0.3%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%. Gains in retailers and communications services companies helped outweigh losses in consumer goods makers and financial stocks. Friday will bring the personal consumption expenditures index, or PCE, the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation.