Asian stocks mostly higher after mixed US earnings

Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stocks were mostly higher Friday despite mixed U.S. earnings reports with many of the region's exchanges closed for Good Friday.

Oil trading also was suspended for the holiday.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gained 0.6 percent to 14,504.47. China's benchmark Shanghai Composite Index shed 0.4 percent to 2,090.4 after data this week showed economic growth slowed to its lowest level since 2012.

Seoul's Kospi added 0.6 percent to 2,004.22 and Taiwan's Taiex rose 0.2 percent to 8,958.10. Malaysia edged up 0.1 percent to 1,852.83.

Markets in Hong Kong, Australia, India, Indonesia, Singapore, New Zealand and the Philippines were closed for the holiday.

On Thursday, global stocks were subdued after Google and IBM reported weak results, even though General Electric was upbeat and Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley beat expectations.

On Wall Street, the Standard & Poor's 500 rose two points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 1,864.85. The Dow Jones industrial average, however, fell 16 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 16,408.54, hurt by the big drop in IBM.

The euro inched down to $1.3815 from $1.3816 late Thursday. The dollar was little changed at 102.42 yen from 102.43 yen.