Asian equity markets ended mostly in green on Friday, after US indexes ended higher and oil prices hit their highest levels for this year. Sentiments were also upbeat as investors turned more positive on riskier assets after the Federal Reserve's cautious stance on further interest rate increases. Hong Kong shares rose, buoyed by gains in mainland China shares which were boosted by easing fears of capital outflows as the dollar weakened. Meanwhile, Japanese shares bucked the regional uptrend to end lower after the dollar plunged to a near 17-month low against the yen overnight, pressuring exporters and dented overall sentiment.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 2,955.15 | 50.32 | 1.73 |
| Hang Seng | 20,671.63 | 167.82 | 0.82 |
| Jakarta Composite | 4,885.71 | 0.02 | -- |
| KLSE Composite | 1,716.34 | 13.15 | 0.77 |
| Nikkei 225 | 16,724.81 | -211.57 | -1.25 |
| Straits Times | 2,906.80 | 26.63 | 0.92 |
| KOSPI Composite | 1,992.12 | 4.13 | 0.21 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 8,810.71 | 76.17 | 0.87 |