Why it matters
- Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 425.56 points, or 1.79%, to 24,211.35, snapping a two-day losing streak, as Xiaomi jumped 9.7% and Tencent gained 3.3%.
- Japan's Nikkei 225 ended almost unchanged at 69,030.92, as drops in Nidec, SoftBank Group and Fast Retailing offset gains elsewhere, but it still rose 1.1% for the week.
- Oil eased after President Donald Trump said Washington would not attack Iran before the midterm elections, Trading Economics reported, calming nerves across the region.
Session recap: what happened in this region's trading day, with sources.
Most Asian stock markets rose on Friday, Oct. 9, after two days of heavy selling. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1.79% to 24,211.35, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.64%, while Japan's Nikkei 225 finished flat at 69,030.92, according to Yahoo Finance data. South Korean markets were closed for a national holiday, Trading Economics said.
| Market | Friday close | Daily change | Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hang Seng (Hong Kong) | 24,211.35 | +1.79% | +1.00% |
| Hang Seng China Enterprises | 8,147.87 | +1.71% | — |
| Nikkei 225 (Japan) | 69,030.92 | −0.02% | +1.06% |
| Shanghai Composite (China) | 3,813.79 | +0.05% | −0.74% |
| Shenzhen Component (China) | 12,641.86 | +0.17% | — |
| CSI 300 (China) | 4,317.25 | +0.16% | — |
| S&P/ASX 200 (Australia) | 8,716.60 | +0.64% | +0.40% |
| Straits Times Index (Singapore) | 5,401.89 | −0.20% | — |
| Sensex (India) | 72,472.33 | +1.23% | — |
| Nifty 50 (India) | 22,520.45 | +1.30% | — |
Source: Yahoo Finance chart data. Daily changes are from Thursday's close; weekly changes are from the Oct. 2 close (Sept. 30 for mainland China, which was shut for Golden Week).
Why did Asian stocks rise on Friday?
Lower oil prices and a calmer tone on Iran helped. Brent crude eased after President Donald Trump said Washington was having "productive discussions" with Iran and would hold off on strikes before the midterm elections, Trading Economics reported. U.S. stock futures also firmed. Thursday's broad selloff is covered in our Asia Thursday recap.
Hong Kong: Xiaomi leads the rebound
The Hang Seng ended a two-day losing streak. Xiaomi jumped 9.7% to HK$25.96, Yahoo Finance data showed. Trading Economics tied the gain to pre-orders for the company's SkyNomad vehicle passing 70,000 units in the 30 days after its Sept. 7 launch. Tencent rose 3.3% and insurer AIA gained 2.9%, Yahoo Finance data showed. Trading Economics said financial shares supported the rebound and that investors were looking ahead to China's September inflation and trade data.
How did Japan's Nikkei do?
It ended flat after an early drop. The Nikkei slipped 11.19 points, or 0.02%, a third straight decline, but it was up 1.06% for the week, Yahoo Finance data showed. Trading Economics said the index fell about 1% earlier in the day before AI-linked stocks steadied on a report that OpenAI expects annualized revenue of $70 billion or more by year end.
Tech and electronics shares still weighed. Nidec fell 6.1%, Fast Retailing 4.0%, SoftBank Group 3.9% and Murata Manufacturing 3.6%, Yahoo Finance data showed. The yen weakened to about 158.26 per dollar late in the Asian day.
China: little changed after Golden Week
The Shanghai Composite edged up 0.05% and ended its two-day, post-holiday week down 0.74%. Trading Economics said investors were watching China–EU trade talks, and chip and optical stocks lagged as enthusiasm for Beijing's AI push cooled. Miner Zijin Mining rose 4.9%, Yahoo Finance data showed.
Elsewhere in the region
Australia's ASX 200 broke a two-day slide and rose 0.4% for the week. Pro Medicus gained 4.5% and Goodman Group 3.2%, Yahoo Finance data showed, while BHP slipped 0.4%, Trading Economics said. India's Sensex rose 1.23%, and Singapore's Straits Times Index slipped 0.20%.
What comes next?
Europe is higher; see our Europe Friday recap. The U.S. calendar, including the University of Michigan sentiment survey, is in our day-ahead guide. Live levels are on the markets page.
Follow the rest of the trading day on our global market today page, with the latest Asia, Europe and Americas session recaps.
Sources
- Trading Economics, Hong Kong stock market (Hang Seng)
- Trading Economics, Japan stock market (Nikkei 225)
- Trading Economics, China stock market (Shanghai Composite)
- Trading Economics, Australia stock market (ASX 200)
- Trading Economics, South Korea stock market (Kospi)
- Yahoo Finance, chart data for the Hang Seng, Hang Seng China Enterprises, Nikkei 225, Shanghai Composite, Shenzhen Component, CSI 300, S&P/ASX 200, Straits Times Index, Sensex, Nifty 50 and USD/JPY
- Yahoo Finance, stock chart data for Xiaomi, Tencent, AIA, Nidec, Fast Retailing, SoftBank Group, Murata Manufacturing, Zijin Mining, Pro Medicus and Goodman Group