Most of the Asian equity benchmarks are trading in green in the early deals on Friday as strong US earnings and a step forward in Congress on US tax reform brightened the mood, even though investors noted that many hurdles remain to passage of a deal on tax cuts. Meanwhile, the Japanese market is notably higher, extending gains from the previous session as the overnight rebound on Wall Street lifted investors’ sentiments. Exporters' shares are also mostly advancing despite a stronger yen. Among the other Asian markets, Malaysia, South Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan are also higher. Bucking the trend, Shanghai is in negative territory.
Nikkei 225 added 53.96 points or 0.24% to 22,405.08, Taiwan Weighted gained 82.76 points or 0.78% to 10,707.80, Hang Seng rose 231.33 points or 0.8% to 29,250.09, Straits Times strengthened 30.38 points or 0.91% to 3,371.68, Jakarta Composite jumped 38.62 points or 0.64% to 6,076.53, KOSPI Index increased 4.94 points or 0.19% to 2,539.73, and FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI was up by 4.32 points or 0.25% to 1,722.43.
On the flip side, Shanghai Composite was down by 18.62 points or 0.55% to 3,380.63.