Asian equities on Friday bucked the dour global stocks mood that dragged US shares lower for a fifth day.
Electrical and electronic equipment stocks drove the South Korean benchmark as much as 2.3% higher. Shares in Australia and Hong Kong also rose, as did US equity futures, after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 both fell on Thursday. Equity trading in Japan is closed for a holiday.
Chinese stocks posted their worst start to a year in nearly a decade as investors braced for economic uncertainties with weaker-than-expected manufacturing data and an anticipated hike in tariffs.
The CSI 300 Index closed down 2.9% on Thursday, its steepest drop on a year’s first day of trading since 2016. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index slid as much as 3.1%. – Bloomberg
