Asian Stocks Rise on U.S. Jobless Data; Samsung at Record

Asian stocks advanced, with the regional benchmark index heading for its longest streak of weekly gains in three months, as fewer Americans filed for unemployment benefits and Australia’s building industry shrank at a slower pace.

James Hardie Industries SE, a building materials supplier that gets about 67 percent of sales from the U.S., rose 2.8 percent in Sydney. Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s biggest smartphone maker, climbed to a record amid growing confidence that earnings will increase. People’s Insurance Company (Group) of China Ltd., Hong Kong’s biggest initial public offering in two years, jumped 6.9 percent in its trading debut. Japanese stock futures dropped after Tokyo was rattled by the biggest earhtquake since last year’s record temblor.