Asian stocks were mixed on Friday

Asian stocks ere mixed on Friday as concerns lingered over the economic impact of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

Asian Shares

• In mainland China, shares jumped on the day.
• The Shenzhen component was up 1.05% to 11,629.70 while the Shenzhen composite jumped 1.125% to 1,907.35.
• The Shanghai composite rose 0.31% to about 3,039.67.
• Stocks in South Korea led losses among major markets in the region, with the Kospi falling 1.49% to close at 2,162.84 as shares of SK Hynix dropped 0.96%.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index slipped 1.1% as of its final hour of trading, with shares of conglomerate Ping An Insurance shedding 0.93% following the release of its earnings on Thursday for the year ended Dec. 31, 2019.
• Over in Japan the Nikkei 225 closed 0.39% lower at 23,386.74 as shares of index heavyweight and conglomerate SoftBank Group gained 2.4%. The Topix index ended its trading day largely flat at 1,674.
• Meanwhile, shares in Australia were lower, with the S&P/ASX 200 down 0.33% to close at 7,139 as shares of Wesfarmers dropped 1.96%.
• Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index was 0.92% lower.

Currencies