*Hang Seng Index shoots up* Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index popped more than 3.4% to its highest level since February 2022, on the back of Alibaba shares surging. ➡️ https://cnb.cx/4kbLuT2 *Sustained inflation in Japan* Japan’s inflation rate in January climbed to 4% year on year, hitting its highest level since January 2023. Core inflation, which excludes prices of fresh food, rose to 3.2%. ➡️ https://cnb.cx/4kbKi1U *Alibaba shares pop on cloud growth* Alibaba shot up 8.1% in U.S. on Thursday and jumped nearly 13% in Hong Kong on Friday. The Chinese tech giant on Thursday reported net income of 48.945 billion yuan ($6.72 billion) in the December quarter, a 239% surge from a year ago. ➡️ https://cnb.cx/3QuomSo *Behind Thursday’s sell-off* Walmart serves as a bellwether for consumer health. So, when the company gave disappointing guidance, investors sold-off shares. Here’s what analysts think of it. ➡️ https://cnb.cx/3X7xTCA _Get the latest updates: https://bit.ly/CNBCiWhatsApp_