Asian markets end mixed on Friday
Seoul shares hit another new high as momentum in the artificial intelligence sector picked up
Asian markets ended mixed on Friday, despite Wall Street’s gains overnight followed by strong earnings reports from banks and chipmakers. Better-than-expected weekly US jobless claims data boosted expectations that the US Federal Reserve will keep rates on hold for the next several months. Hong Kong shares declined on profit taking after a strong earnings outlook from Taiwanese chipmaking titan TSMC bolstered confidence in the durability of AI-related demand and lifted risk appetite globally. Investors were anxiously awaiting forthcoming economic growth data from China slated for release later in the day. Japanese shares fell due to increasing political uncertainty surrounding an anticipated snap election. Meanwhile, Seoul shares hit another new high as momentum in the artificial intelligence sector picked up.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 4,101.91 | -10.69 | -0.26 |
| Hang Seng | 26,844.96 | -78.66 | -0.29 |
| Jakarta Composite | -- | -- | -- |
| KLSE Composite | 1,712.74 | -2.42 | -0.14 |
| Nikkei 225 | 53,936.17 | -174.33 | -0.32 |
| Straits Times | 4,849.10 | 15.76 | 0.33 |
| KOSPI Composite | 4,840.74 | 43.19 | 0.90 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 31,408.70 | 598.12 | 1.94 |
