· European markets opened slightly higher on Friday, as investors monitored another batch of earnings while keeping a close eye on the political sphere.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 was up around 0.1 percent shortly after the opening bell, with most sectors and major bourses in positive territory.
· Asian shares rose on Friday after U.S. equities were buoyed by a rebound in technology stocks, while markets in Seoul were underpinned by optimism as leaders of North and South Korea held their first summit in over a decade.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.8 percent, but still looked set to shed 0.9 percent for the week.
· Japanese stocks rose to near three-month highs on Friday as chip-related firms rallied after brisk earnings forecasts from Advantest and Kyocera, helping the index to post the biggest monthly gain since last October.
The Nikkei share average ended 0.7 percent up at 22,467.87, the highest closing level since early February, on the last trading day of April. Markets will be closed on Monday in Japan for a national holiday.
· China stocks recovered from earlier losses to end higher on Friday, as gains in healthcare shares offset losses in consumer stocks, and as market participants continued to watch the developments of China-U.S. trade spat.
The blue-chip CSI300 index ended flat at 3,756.88 points, while the Shanghai Composite Index edged up 0.2 percent at 3,082.23.
Reference:Reuters, CNBC
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