Asian stock markets rose on Friday after Wall Street hit a new high as fears of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 eased.
Taipei, Hong Kong and Sydney all advanced, while Tokyo and Shanghai declined.
Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index on Thursday rose 0.6 percent in the last US trading session before Christmas.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Investor anxiety has mounted as Omicron spread, but moderated after authorities said it might cause less severe illness.
US President Joe Biden called for more vaccinations and testing, but announced no plans for travel restrictions.
Omicron looks like a “short-term disruption” instead of a “destructive headwind that knocks the economy off its course,” Oanda Corp senior market analyst Edward Moya said in a report. “The US economic recovery in 2022 still looks very strong.”
In Taiwan, the TAIEX ended up 14.98 points, or 0.08 percent, at 17,961.64, posting a weekly increase of 0.84 percent.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 0.05 percent to 28,782.59, but rose 0.83 percent from a week earlier, while the broader TOPIX dropped 0.13 percent to 1,986.78, up 0.12 percent on the week.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng advanced 0.13 percent to 23,223.76, gaining 0.13 percent from a week earlier, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.69 percent to 3,618.05, posting a weekly decline of 0.39 percent.
Seoul’s KOSPI added 0.48 percent to 3,012.43, but dropped 0.18 percent from a week earlier, while Sydney’s S&P/ASX 200 was 0.44 percent higher at 7,420.3, up 1.59 percent on the week.
New Zealand and Jakarta advanced, while Bangkok retreated. Singapore was closed for Christmas.
Additional reporting by staff writer, with CNA
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