TOKYO – Asian shares were mostly higher Friday despite some investor attention shifting again to the uncertainties in global economies amid the coronavirus pandemic, as reflected in the overnight fall on Wall Street.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 0.2% to finish at 23,360.30. South Korea's Kospi added 0.4% to 2,414.86. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.3% to 5,864.50.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.6% to 24,489.40, while the Shanghai Composite edged up 1.9% to 3,332.96. Another slide in technology companies helped pull stocks lower on Wall Street Thursday, extending losses from the day before.
The S&P 500 lost 0.8% after having been down 1.7% earlier. The selling was widespread, with eight of the 11 sectors that make up the benchmark index.