Asian stocks open higher encouraged by US rallies

March 22, 2019: Hong Kong stocks rose soon after opening Friday morning, tracking a healthy lead from Wall Street, where investors cheered the Federal Reserve's dovish outlook for interest rates.

The Hang Seng Index added 0.35 percent, or 101.77 points, to 29,173.33.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index was barely moved, inching down 0.73 points to 3,100.73, while the Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China's second exchange, was also flat, edging 2.19 points higher to 9,871.99.

Meanwhile, Tokyo stocks opened higher on Friday as rallies on Wall Street helped improve investor sentiment, but with a higher yen against the dollar weighing on the market.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index was up 0.16 percent or 33.81 points at 21,642.73 in early trade while the broader Topix index was up 0.08 percent or 0.91 points at 1,615.30.

(APP)