Asian stocks were generally higher on Friday, following a positive finish in the U.S., while Thai markets sank after the country’s military assumed control in a coup.
Japan's Nikkei 225 was up 0.9 percent at 14,473.19 after the dollar climbed to near 102 yen overnight. A weaker yen is a plus for Japan's powerhouse export manufacturers while Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down 0.1 percent at 22,931.95.
The Shanghai Composite Index advanced 0.7%. Chinese property stocks rallied in both Shanghai and Hong Kong, after state media said the government might loosen restrictions on home purchases in all but the largest Chinese cities.
Thailand’s stock markets had a volatile day after the country’s army seized control of the government in a coup it said was aimed at restoring stability after six months of political turmoil. The benchmark SET index trimmed earlier losses in the afternoon session, still 1% lower at this point.
Among market movers, Japanese semiconductor maker Renesas Electronics jumped 4.4%, banking giant Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group rose 2.3%, optical equipment manufacturer Olympus Corp. gained 1.9%, and electronics maker Fujitsu added 1.4%.
In other markets:
Bangkok lost 0.60 percent, or 8.37 points, to 1,396.84.
Kuala Lumpur's main stock index lost 5.90 points or 0.31 percent to close at 1,869.22.
Jakarta closed up 0.06 percent, or 3.18 points, at 4,973.06.
Mumbai's Stock Exchange rose 1.31 percent or 318.95 points to end at 24,693.35 points.
Singapore's Straits Times Index gained 0.38 percent, or 12.36 points, to 3,278.02.
Taipei added 0.43 percent, or 38.59 points, to 9,008.22.
Wellington rose 0.44 percent, or 22.53 points, to 5,151.37.
Manila closed 0.28 percent lower, dipping 19.25 points to 6,811.33.
South Korea's Seoul Composite slipped 3.70 points to 2,009.74.
Taiwan Weighted lost 1.85 points to 8,886.60.
and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.3 per cent to 5,493.90.
