Asian Stocks Open Higher

Tokyo stocks opened higher on Friday, as gains on Wall Street outweighed concern over geopolitical risk with the US set to open its embassy in Jerusalem next week. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained 0.24 percent or 54.70 points to 22,551.88 in early trade, while the broader Topix index was up 0.24 percent or 4.27 points at 1,781.89.

Hong Kong stocks jumped more than one percent in opening trade Friday, putting the market on course for a fifth successive win, as investors tracked another positive lead from Wall Street. The Hang Seng Index rose 1.11 percent, or 342.58 points, to 31,151.80. And the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.17 percent, or 5.39 points, to 3,179.80, while the Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China's second exchange, added 0.10 percent, or 1.92 points, to 1,845.96

(AFP/APP)