Stock markets in Asia chase Wall Street’s gainsLOOKING UP: Omicron could be a ‘short-term disruption’ and might not push the economy off its course, senior market analyst Edward Moya saidAP, BEIJINGAsian stock markets rose on Friday after Wall Street hit a new high as fears of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 eased. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index on Thursday rose 0.6 percent in the last US trading session before Christmas. Photo: EPA-EFEInvestor anxiety has mounted as Omicron spread, but moderated after authorities said it might cause less severe illness. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng advanced 0.13 percent to 23,223.76, gaining 0.13 percent from a week earlier, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.69 percent to 3,618.05, posting a weekly decline of 0.39 percent. Seoul’s KOSPI added 0.48 percent to 3,012.43, but dropped 0.18 percent from a week earlier, while Sydney’s S&P/ASX 200 was 0.44 percent higher at 7,420.3, up 1.59 percent on the week.

Source: Taipei Times December 26, 2021 03:57 UTC