Stocks in the Asia-Pacific region mostly increased on Friday, October 6th. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index (HSI) climbed for the second session, adding 1.6% to reach 17,485.98. However, the Nikkei 225 Index (NIK) of Japanese companies weakened by 0.3% to 30,994.67.
Singapore and South Korea See Gains
In Singapore, the FTSE Straits Times Index (STI) saw a 0.7% increase, reaching 3,177.21. Meanwhile, China’s Shanghai Stock Exchange was closed. South Korea’s KOSPI Composite Index gained 0.2% to 2,408.73, and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Benchmark Index added 0.4% to reach 6,954.20.
Notable Movers in Hong Kong
Among the Hang Seng Index constituents, pharmacies/drugstores company Alibaba Hlth Info Tech saw the largest increase on Friday with shares adding 4.1%. Building construction firm Longfor Group Holdings and pharmaceuticals company Sino Biopharmaceutical also saw gains of 3.4% each. In contrast, brewing company Budweiser Brewing APAC experienced the largest drop, with shares declining by 1.8%. Optical instruments firm Sunny Optical Technology and sports clothing/footwear company Anta Sports Products also saw minor declines of 0.3% and 0.2%, respectively.
Major Movements in Japan
Turning to Japan, marine freight company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha saw the largest increase on Friday with shares adding 4.2%. Food products firm Ajinomoto and distilling company Takara Holdings also experienced gains of 2.7% each. On the other hand, chemicals company UBE saw the largest decline with shares weakening by 3.5%. Semiconductors firm Renesas Electronics and oil and gas exploration company Inpex Corp. also saw decreases of 2.4% each.