Tokyo — Asian stocks rose across the board on Friday, buoyed by gains in US technology shares while investors awaited several key events next week including US-China trade talks. The euro struggled near a six-week low versus the dollar following dovish-sounding comments from European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi, who expressed concerns about the eurozone economy. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 0.95% to scale its highest since December 4. The index was headed for a gain of 0.6% this week, with strong corporate earnings helping somewhat to counter growing concerns over slowing global economic growth. The Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.6%. Tech-heavy South Korean shares added 0.9%. Australian stocks climbed 0.8%, lifted by higher prices of commodities such as iron ore and crude oil. Japan’s Nikkei advanced 1.4% with technology companies boosted by a surge in their US peers. “Investors who were already excited about the US chip sector’s e...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.