A cooling yen lifted Japan's Nikkei, while European stocks are lower across the board
Asian stocks closed mostly higher thanks to
strength in crude oil futures. Japan's Nikkei led the way with a 0.4% gain, as the yen weakened against the dollar and boosted exporters. However, the index still suffered a 2.2% weekly decline. Separately, a Reuters Tankan survey revealed sentiment among Japanese manufacturers was at three-year lows.
In China, the Shanghai Composite edged up 0.2%, as energy stocks outperformed, but Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.4%. Meanwhile, South Korea's Kospi added 0.04% as the won fell relative to the dollar.
European stocks are under pressure at midday, as oil prices pare their earlier gains. Automakers are among the biggest losers, with heavyweights like BMW and Daimler suffering heavy losses, after Goldman Sachs waxed pessimistic on the sector. France's CAC 40 is the biggest loser so far, dropping 0.9%, with Germany's DAX shedding 0.5%, and London's FTSE 100 falling 0.3%.
Sign up now for Schaeffer's Market Recap to get all the day's big stock movers, must-know technical levels, and top economic stories straight to your inbox.