Asian shares slipped on Friday but world stocks held near a record high after strong U.S. economic data and the Federal Reserve’s commitment to continue supporting the economy fuelled investors’ appetite for risk. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dropped 0.5% with both Japan and China falling ahead of a long weekend. Japan’s Nikkei fell 0.4% while China’s CSI 300 lost 0.5% in early trade.
