Asian markets end mostly higher on Friday

Asian equity markets ended mostly higher on Friday, as aggressive moves by the Bank of England to cushion the Brexit blow and its dovish outlook for policy encouraged traders to pile into riskier assets. A two-day short-covering rally in oil prices also boosted investor sentiment. Chinese stocks closed a tad lower as worries about the economy and regulators' crackdown on speculation kept many investors on the sidelines. Japanese shares gave up early gains to end flat in cautious trade with investors looking ahead to the US jobs report later in the session, which could provide important insights into US economic outlook and the path of monetary policy. The Labor Department's non-farm payrolls report is expected to show an increase of about 185,000 jobs in July after employment jumped by 287,000 jobs in June. The unemployment rate is expected to edge down to 4.8 percent from 4.9 percent.