By Rocky Swift

TOKYO (Reuters) -Asian shares rallied on Friday as Wall Street earnings and signs of a thaw in U.S.-China relations boosted investor sentiment, while oil prices eased following fresh U.S. sanctions on Russian suppliers.

Intel results after the close in New York beat expectations, adding to a batch of positive U.S. earnings reports. Japan’s Nikkei share gauge jumped before a speech where the nation’s new prime minister is expected to talk about stimulus. Crude futures trimmed a weekly advance spurred by new U.S. curbs on Russia’s two biggest oil companies.

As the U.S. government shutdown blots out most economic data, the spotlight is on Friday’s consumer price figures for signals about next week’s policy meeting at the Federal Reserve.

Sentiment was buoyed after the White

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