Hong Kong Stocks Brush Off Trade War Fears

Hong Kong stocks were sharply higher at the lunch break on Friday despite growing international fears of a US-China trade war.

The Hang Seng Index was up 1.3 percent, at 29,889.

The mainland markets and Taipei bourse are closed for a public holiday.

Tokyo stocks climbed slightly higher at the opening bell but later gave up most of their gains and were trading only fractionally in the green halfway through the morning session.

Equity markets in South Korea and Australia were also in negative territory.

"A wait-and-see mood tends to increase ahead of the release of US jobs data ... but the market will likely stay solid with risk aversion among investors receding," Okasan Online Securities said in a commentary.

Market players scrutinise the monthly jobs report from the US Department of Labour, set to be released later on Friday, for clues on US monetary policy.

The Asian session followed a positive day for stocks in the US and Europe, with Wall Street closing higher for the third straight day, as investors' fears over a full-blown US-China trade war eased. (AFP)

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