Stock market today: Asian shares gain as China releases plan for market support

Asian shares are higher after China's central bank released plans for supporting stock markets through share repurchases. Beijing also reported that the Chinese economy slowed further in the last quarter, which spurred expectations the government will ramp up its latest stimulus efforts. On Thursday, U.S. stocks drifted around their record heights following the latest signals the U.S. economy continues to hum. The S&P 500 finished Thursday virtually unchanged and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.4% to its own record set the day before. The Nasdaq composite was close to flat. Treasury yields rose after reports showed U.S. shoppers have been spending more at retailers and that fewer workers applied for unemployment last week.