The few Asian stock markets that were trading Friday were mixed, with Tokyo shares up and stocks in Seoul and Shanghai nearly flat. Financial markets in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia and India were closed for the Good Friday holiday.
Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.5 percent to 16,971.83. South Korea's Kospi was flat at 1,985.46. China's Shanghai Composite Index traded 0.1 percent higher at 2,963.26.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Thursday at an annual forum in China that the country will maintain medium-high growth and it has many tools to turn the economy around. Chinese leaders have set an economic growth target of 6.5 to 7 percent for this year.
"Although by most standards the market is running quiet, a recent shift in global investor sentiment has been beneficial for China," Stephen Innes, senior foreign exchange trader at OANDA Asia Pacific, said in a daily commentary. "The long-term prospects are still muddled however. Capital outflows will be a concern along with China's struggling economy."
The dollar rose after some Fed bank presidents earlier this week made public comments that suggested the pace of rate hikes might not be slowed after all. The dollar strengthened to 113.11 yen from 112.79 yen. The euro fell to $1.1161 from $1.1180.
Due to the Good Friday holiday, there were no settlements for crude oil futures. On Thursday, benchmark US crude fell 33 cents, or 0.8 percent, to close at $39.46 a barrel in New York. Oil prices closed lower again as concerns over excess supplies returned following the latest US stockpiles data. Brent crude, the benchmark for international oils, added 1 cent to $40.45 a barrel in London.
Source: Arab News