Asian markets ended mostly higher on Friday, with Japanese shares extending gains on exporters such as Honda Motor Co. after a strong overnight finish on Wall Street and a weaker yen.
The Nikkei 225 average ended 0.5 percent higher at 15,956.37 while the broader Topix index advanced 0.6 percent to 1,561.76.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index raced as high as 29,962.93 earlier in the day, but was hit by a wave of selling in property stocks in the afternoon, as traders locked in profits ahead of the weekend. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index lost 1 percent at 17,619.03.
In Tokyo, shares of Honda Motor rose 1.3 percent and Nintendo Co. added 0.6 percent as the Japanese currency slipped back to the 111 yen level against the U.S. dollar.
In Hong Kong, shares of market heavyweight HSBC Holdings defied the trend to end 2.3 percent higher, as concerns over the health of the global financial markets eased.
Energy stocks rose sharply on a pullback in crude-oil prices, with shares of Inpex Holdings rising 2.6 percent in Tokyo, Woodside Petroleum adding 1.3 percent in Sydney and shares of PetroChina Co. climbing 1.8 percent in Hong Kong.
ELSEWHERE:
MUMBAI: India's Sensitive Index closed up 0.9 percent at 19,966.
SHANGHAI: China's Shanghai Composite rose 1.1 percent to 5,091.76.
SEOUL: South Korea's Kospi lost 1 percent at 1,934.32.
SINGAPORE: The Straits Times index added 0.2 percent to 3,557.95.
TAIPEI: Taiwan's Weighted index advanced 0.3 percent to 8,722.38.
SYDNEY: Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.8 percent to 6,654.70.
WELLINGTON: New Zealand's NZX 50 index gained 1.2 percent to 4,092.93.
with files from other wire services
