• Japan's Nikkei share average edged up in choppy trade on Friday but gains were limited as the U.S. missile strike on Syria curbed investors' risk appetite.
The Nikkei rose 0.4 percent to 18,664.63 after traversing positive and negative trade. In the morning, it slipped to as low as 18,517.43, its weakest since Dec. 7
• China stocks, not impacted by the news on Syria, edged higher. Strength in defence shares and energy majors offset weakness in construction plays due to profit-taking after the sector's two-day rally.
In China, the blue-chip CSI300 index <.CSI300> rose 0.1 percent, to 3,518.85, while the Shanghai Composite Index <.SSEC> gained 0.2 percent, to 3,289.09.
• Hong Kong stocks hit a three-week low on Friday morning, as investors shifted to safe haven assets such as gold and bonds after the United States fired cruise missiles at an airbase in Syria
In Hong Kong, where the market is more exposed to global volatility, the benchmark Hang Seng index <.HSI> was down 0.6 percent at midday, to 24,137.11, while the Hong Kong China Enterprises Index <.HSCE> lost 0.4 percent, to 10,233.85.
Reference: Reuters,
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