Asian shares were mostly higher on Friday, despite some investor attention shifting again to the uncertainties in global economies amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as reflected in an overnight fall on Wall Street.
The MSCI Asia-Pacific Index rose 0.5 percent to 173.90, up 1.4 percent for the week.
The TAIEX on Friday edged up 0.02 percent to 12,875.62, up 1.6 percent for the week.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 Index on Friday gained 0.2 percent to finish at 23,360.30, down 0.2 percent for the week.
South Korea’s KOSPI on Friday added 0.3 percent to 2,412.40, bringing its weekly gain to 0.66 percent.
India’s NIFTY 50 on Friday fell 0.1 percent, paring its weekly gain to 0.4 percent.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 on Friday lost 0.3 percent to 5,864.50, virtually unchanged for the week.
The Shanghai Composite on Friday rose 2 percent to 3,338.09, bringing its weekly gain to 2.4 percent.
Hong Kong stocks ended higher on Friday, but posted their third straight weekly decline on worries over Sino-US tensions and lingering disappointment that central banks merely affirmed their monetary support this week.
At the close of trade, the Hang Seng Index (HSI) was up 114.56 points, or 0.47 percent, at 24,455.41. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCE) rose 0.73 percent to 9,803.1.
For the week, the HSI fell 0.2 percent, its third weekly drop in a row, while the HSCE gained 0.5 percent.
The sub-index of the Hang Seng tracking energy shares on Friday dipped 0.1 percent, while the IT sector rose 0.5 percent, the financial sector ended 0.9 percent higher and the property sector dipped 0.5 percent.
The US Federal Reserve promised to keep rates low for a long time, but gave no new hints about any further monetary support.
Hints did come from the Bank of England and the Bank of Japan on Thursday, but action was not forthcoming either.
Sino-US tensions also curbed sentiment.
China would make a “necessary response” to a visit by US Undersecretary for Economic Affairs Keith Krach to Taiwan, and has lodged a complaint with Washington, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday ahead of his arrival.
Investment between the US and China tumbled to a nine-year low in the first half of this year, hit by bilateral tensions that could see more Chinese companies come under pressure to divest US operations, a research report said.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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