HONG KONG - Most Asian share markets edged higher on Friday and the safe-haven dollar was on the back foot, on signs the Omicron variant would not significantly derail global economic growth. Some markets, however, fell on tighter measures to contain the spread of Omicron. U.S. equity and Treasury markets will be closed on Friday for the holiday. The Japanese currency was at 114.38 per dollar on Friday and 82.75 against the Australian dollar, almost the same level as in late November when news about the Omicron variant first emerged. The weak dollar helped spot gold to continue to edge up 0.6% on the day, and 1.15% on the week to $1,818 per ounce.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 24, 2021 11:39 UTC