Hong Kong share prices closed 0.40 percent lower on Wall Street's overnight falls and profit-taking in the property sector after recent strong gains, dealers said.
The Hang Seng Index closed down 60.22 points at 15,051.32, off a low of 14,972.52 and high of 15,083.51. The property sub-index fell 106.55 points or 0.55 percent to 19,302.11, with most stocks in the sector losing ground.
Chinese share prices closed broadly higher, adding 2.35 percent on strong follow-through interest with banks in demand due to market talk of a cut in operating taxes and energy stocks buoyed by the high oil prices, dealers said.
They said that after Thursday's modest correction, investors moved squarely to the buy-side, reflecting the continued improvement in confidence since the revaluation of the yuan on July 21.
Since then, the market has put on more than a hundred points or nearly 10 percent, with some now thinking that stocks may have seen the worst after having floundered at 8-year lows for much of the year.
The Shanghai A-share Index rose 27.26 points to 1,186.07, while the Shenzhen A-share Index was up 7.19 points or 2.67 percent at 276.31. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index, which covers both A- and B-shares, closed up 26.15 points or 2.37 percent at 1,128.74.
The yuan closed at 8.1037 to the US dollar on Friday, down from the previous finish at 8.1027.
Australian share prices closed steady as investors paused ahead of key US employment data due later in the day to provide a clearer direction going forward, dealers said.
The benchmark SP/ASX 200 index closed up 2.5 points at 4,377.3, off an intraday high of 4,381.8 and a low of 4361.4. The broader All Ordinaries index added 4.6 points at 4,333.1.
Singapore share prices closed lower for a third straight session, dropping one percent as investors locked in profits on the market's recent gains, dealers said. The Singapore Straits Times index lost 23.52 points at 2,338.87.
Malaysian share prices closed 0.19 percent lower with sentiment weighed down by the overnight fall on Wall Street and higher oil prices, dealers said. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index was down 1.82 points to 943.41, off a low of 941.85 and a high of 946.22.
Thai share prices closed 0.21 percent higher as the market consolidated after a very mixed week in the absence of a fresh lead, dealers said. The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) composite index rose 1.44 points to 686.01 points and the bluechip SET 50 was up 0.79 points at 485.19.
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