CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Asian stocks ended mixed on Friday as continued uncertainty over Brexit and lingering U.S.-China trade tensions kept underlying sentiment cautious ahead of the weekend.
Chinese stocks advanced after reports that Beijing will request cancellation of some planned and existing U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports in exchange for buying more U.S. agricultural products.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite index climbed 14.01 points, or 0.48 percent, to 2,954.93 ahead of high-level trade talks later in the day. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dropped 0.49 percent to 26,667.39.
Japanese shares hit a fresh one-year high as semiconductor-related stocks surged after the release of some positive earnings from overseas tech companies.
Underlying sentiment remained somewhat cautious after Japan's Trade Minister Isshu Sugawara resigned following allegations of election law violations.
The Nikkei average inched up 49.21 points, or 0.22 percent, to 22,799.81, its highest closing level since October last year. The broader Topix index closed 0.29 percent higher at 1,648.44, its highest level in 10-1/2 months.
Tokyo Electron jumped 2.6 percent and Screen Holdings added 2.6 percent after chipmaker Intel beat third-quarter earnings expectations and raised its full-year revenue forecast.
Disco, a precision tools maker for the semiconductor production industry, soared 11.6 percent. Eisai jumped 8.2 percent to extend strong gains from the previous two session.
SoftBank dropped 1.2 percent on a Bloomberg report that the company is planning to write down at least $5 billion to account for a plunge in the value of some of its biggest holdings, such as WeWork and Uber Technologies.
Australian markets rose notably, led by technology and healthcare stocks. The benchmark S&P ASX 200 climbed 45.60 points, or 0.68 percent, to 6,739.20 while the broader All Ordinaries index ended up 44.30 points, or 0.65 percent, at 6,841.
Medical equipment company Resmed soared 11 percent after its Q1 earnings topped forecasts. Biotechnology firm CSL advanced 1.6 percent and hearing devices maker Cochlear rallied 2.6 percent.
Gold miner Newcrest rose 1.3 percent as bullion prices hit fresh two-week high after the release of weak U.S. economic data.
Mining heavyweight Rio Tinto rose half a percent and Fortescue Metals Group gained 0.8 percent, tracking strength in iron ore and copper prices. Tech stocks followed their U.S. peers higher, with Afterpay Touch Group rising 1 percent.
South Korea's Kospi average inched up 0.11 percent to 2,087.89 after survey results from the Bank of Korea showed the country's consumer confidence strengthened to a six-month high in October.
The consumer sentiment index came in at 98.6 in October versus 96.9 in September. This was the highest score since last April.
New Zealand shares edged lower, with the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index ending down 42.88 points, or 0.4 percent, at 10,788.64. The index fell nearly 2.5 percent for the week.
Singapore's Straits Times index was up 0.4 percent after a government report showed the country's industrial production increased unexpectedly in September, driven by higher biomedical output.
Industrial production grew 0.1 percent on a yearly basis in September, confounding expectations for a decline of 5.1 percent. Production had decreased by revised 6.4 percent in August.
Singapore's house prices increased, while rentals and prices of office space declined in the third quarter, another report from the Urban Redevelopment Authority revealed.
U.S. stocks ended mixed overnight after the release of disappointing durable-goods orders and housing data.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 0.1 percent on the back of a decline in 3M Co shares while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.8 percent after strong results from Microsoft Corp and Paypal Holdings. The S&P 500 added 0.2 percent.
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