Stocks across Asia rise solidly, Hong Kong index jumps 492 points

SYDNEY, NSW, Australia – Stocks in Asia ended the week in positive territory on Friday.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 returned to the winning list. The key index gained 373.65 points or 1.25 percent to 30,381.84.

China’s Shanghai Composite added 9.98 points or 0.27 percent to 3,703.11.

The Australian All Ordinaries climbed 47.30 points or 0.62 percent to 7,706.20.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng surged 489.91 points or 1.91 percent to 26,205.91.

The U.S. dollar drifted lower during Asian trading Friday. The euro nudged up to 1.1837. The British pound was a fraction higher at 1.3858. The Japanese yen softened slightly to 109.94. The Swiss franc firmed to 0.9168.

The Canadian dollar was little changed at 1.2632. The Australian dollar perked up to 0.7387. The New Zealand dollar rose to 0.7134.

Overnight on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrials gave up 151.69 points or 0.43 percent to close at 4,493.38, Business Sun reported.

The Nasdaq Composite slid 38.38 points or 0.25 percent to 15,248.25.

The Standard and Poor’s 500 eased 20.79 points or 0.46 percent to 4,493.28.