TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly rose in muted trading Friday after Wall Street eked out modest gains amid a tug of war between worries about the worsening pandemic in the present and optimism that a vaccine will rescue the economy in the future. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.5% in morning trading to 25,507.95. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained nearly 0.2% to 26,405.20, while the Shanghai Composite was little changed, inching down less than 0.1% to 3,361.90. Japan, which is heading to a three-day weekend, has had its optimism dashed by record daily COVID-19 cases. Although Japan has had fewer deaths related to the pandemic — under 2,000 — compared to harder-hit nations, worries are growing about a need for stricter restrictions on travel and anti-infection measures.

Source: Daily Sun November 20, 2020 02:26 UTC