Asian equities on Friday bucked the dour global stocks mood that dragged US shares lower for a fifth day.
Electrical and electronic equipment stocks drove the South Korean benchmark as much as 2.3% higher.
Shares in Australia and Hong Kong also rose, as did US equity futures, after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 both fell on Thursday.
Equity trading in Japan is closed for a holiday. Chinese stocks traded in a tight range after the worst start to the year since 2016.
The nation’s 10-year government bond yield slipped below 1.6% for the first time ever on Friday amid concerns about the state of the country’s economy.
The Friday moves are a sign the weakness in global equities over the past week may be starting to turn. Investors are preparing to implement asset-allocation strategies for the year ahead after a rocky end to 2024.
The decline in US stocks accompanied a rally in the dollar, a popular haven, which set a fresh two-year high Thursday before sagging Friday.
