Stocks in Asia Pacific were higher on Friday as investors continued to monitor the situation surrounding a recent uptick in coronavirus cases in some countries.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 regained 123.33 points, or 0.6%, to 22,478.79. The Japanese yen traded at 106.89 per U.S. dollar after seeing touching levels around 107.1 yesterday.
The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong restocked 178.95 points, or 0.7%, to 24,643.89
On the economic data front, Australia’s preliminary retail trade figures released Friday by the country’s Bureau of Statistics showed retail turnover rising 16.3% in May on a seasonally-adjusted basis.
The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.6869 after declining from levels above $0.688 yesterday.
CHINA
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 gained 54.33 points, or 1.3%, to 4,098.71.
Meanwhile, a Chinese health expert said Thursday that a recent virus outbreak in Beijing is under control. The Chinese capital saw a jump in infections after more than 50 days without domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases.
In other markets
In Korea, the Kospi inched forward 7.84 points, or 0.4%, to 2,141.32
In Taiwan, the Taiex index edged up 1.53 points to 11,549.86
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index lost 30.83 points, or 1.2%, to 2,634.83.
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 re-asserted itself 29.46 points, or 0.3%, to 11,254.74
In Australia, the ASX 200 recovered 6.11 points, or 0.1%, to 5,942.58.
