Asian share indices moved lower on Friday as traders locked in gains after a sizable advance earlier in the week, though most regional markets were still set to finish the week in positive territory. The broader tone was lifted by Friday's cues from Wall Street, where both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite closed at record highs for a second straight session on Thursday amid signs of easing geopolitical risk.
U.S. stock index futures were little changed during Asian trading hours.
Drivers: geopolitical easing and buoyant tech earnings
Investor sentiment this week was supported by indications of de-escalation in the Middle East. That backdrop, however, also helped trigger some profit-taking on Friday following the earlier rally.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Israel has agreed to a 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon, a development that reduced worries about a wider regional conflagration. He also noted that Washington and Tehran could resume diplomatic talks over the coming weekend, a prospect that helped underpin risk appetite in markets.
Technology-focused indexes led much of the week's gains, mirroring a strong rally on Wall Street driven by optimism about AI-related earnings growth.
Country and sector moves
- Japan - The Nikkei 225 fell 0.8% to 59,037.0 points on Friday but was on track for a 3.5% increase for the week. The benchmark earlier hit a record high of 59,719 points on Thursday. Japan's broader TOPIX index slipped 1.1% on Friday.
- South Korea - The KOSPI edged down 0.3% and remained positioned for roughly a 6% weekly rise. Technology names led the advance; SK Hynix (KS:000660) shares were set to gain more than 10% for the week after touching record highs on Wednesday.
- Taiwan - Strong quarterly results from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) (TW:2330) reinforced confidence in the chip sector. TSMC reported about a 58% jump in quarterly profit to a record level, attributed to surging global demand for AI processors.
- China & Hong Kong - Both the Shanghai Composite and the Hang Seng slipped modestly on Friday but were each heading for around a 1.5% advance for the week. Supporting sentiment, data released on Thursday showed China grew 5.0% year-on-year in the first quarter, accelerating from 4.5% in the prior quarter, with quarterly growth at 1.3%.
- India & Singapore - India's Nifty 50 looked set for a roughly 0.6% weekly rise, while Singapore's Straits Times Index was poised for marginal weekly gains.
- Australia - The S&P/ASX 200 bucked the regional trend, falling 0.4% on Friday and set for a 0.5% weekly decline.
Market takeaways
Overall, Friday's modest pullback appeared to be a consolidation after several days of strong buying, with the combination of reduced geopolitical concerns and robust semiconductor earnings supporting the broader uptrend. Technology and semiconductor stocks were among the principal beneficiaries this week, while Japan and South Korea led regional headline performance metrics due to record or near-record index levels and outsized weekly gains.