Asian stock markets mostly rose in subdued trading early trading Friday, looking to cap a full week of broad gains as investors hope that trade tensions will ease after a weekend meeting between the leaders of U.S. and China.
Japan’s Nikkei
NIK, +0.40%
was up 0.3%, on pace for its fifth straight gain, with advances by the mining and pharmaceutical sectors leading the way. Shares of health-care company Sysmex
6869, +6.68%
and drug maker Otsuka
4578, +4.53%
surged.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index
HSI, +0.51%
rose 0.6%, with the energy sector leading gainers as oil rebounded in the U.S.; Cnooc
0883, +3.12%
was up some 4%.
Chinese equities struggled for direction in early trading, bouncing up and down ahead of the weekend Xi-Trump meeting, which was keeping some investors on the sidelines. The Shanghai Composite
SHCOMP, +0.53%
was last up 0.2%, while the smaller-cap Shenzhen Composite
399106, +0.53%
was about flat. That came as manufacturing PMI slowed further in November, missing expectations.
South Korea’s Kospi
SEU, -0.57%
fell 0.4%, threatening a four-day winning streak, as Samsung
005930, -2.20%
declined 1%. Benchmark indexes in Taiwan
Y9999, +0.03%
and Singapore
STI, +0.55%
each rose about 0.5%.
Australia’s ASX 200
XJO, -1.58%
fell more than 1%, dragged down by big banks. Westpac
WBC, -1.70%
and Commonwealth Bank of Australia
CBA, -1.66%
were each down about 1%. New Zealand’s benchmark
NZ50GR, +0.33%
rose slightly, on pace for its fourth straight gain.
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