By Chibuike Oguh and Sruthi Shankar NEW YORK (Reuters) -Wall Street stocks advanced on Friday, on track for the second straight week of gains, helped by strong economic data and potential easing of trade tensions between the U.

Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato drew attention by mentioning that the country’s more than $1.1 trillion in U.S. Treasury bonds could potentially be a “card on the table” in negotiations with Washington over Trump’s steep tariffs on autos and other imports.

Investors were feeling a little calmer Friday after China signaled it's ready to engage in trade talks with the U.S. The Cboe Volatility Index, a widely-followed fear gauge that tracks S&P 500 options contracts and trades under the ticker VIX,