Hong Kong’s stock market closed higher on Friday, snapping a brief pause following a three-day winning streak that had pushed the index up more than 800 points, or 3.6 percent.
The Hang Seng Index gained 144.94 points, or 0.60 percent, finishing at 24,175.12 after trading between 24,064.62 and 24,499.63 during the session.
Property stocks and technology companies drove the day’s gains, while weakness in energy shares kept the overall advance in check.
The index now sits just above the 24,175-point plateau, with analysts expecting additional support when trading resumes on Monday.
The global forecast for Asian markets heading into the new week is cautiously optimistic, supported by strong tech momentum and easing crude oil prices.
European markets ended the session mixed, while U.S. bourses closed modestly higher, pointing to a similarly measured open across Asia.
On Wall Street, the Dow added 149.60 points, or 0.29 percent, to finish at 52,637.01, while the NASDAQ gained 74.72 points, or 0.29 percent, to close at 26,281.61.
The S&P 500 rose 31.75 points, or 0.42 percent, to end at 7,575.39, with major averages finishing near their session highs after a slow start to the day.
For the week, the tech-heavy NASDAQ (NFLX, NVDA, META) surged 1.7 percent, the S&P 500 jumped 1.2 percent, and the Dow advanced 0.5 percent.
Strength among big-name tech stocks, including Meta Platforms (META), Nvidia (NVDA), and the U.S.-listed debut shares of SK Hynix, contributed to the upward momentum on Wall Street.
Traders remained cautious heading into the unofficial start of earnings season, with major names including Bank of America (BAC), Citigroup (C), Goldman Sachs (GS), and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) all set to report quarterly results.
Wells Fargo (WFC), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), UnitedHealth (UNH), and Netflix (NFLX) are also among the companies scheduled to release their earnings in the coming days.
Crude oil prices slumped on Friday amid diplomatic efforts to bring the U.S. and Iran back to the negotiating table, easing pressure on energy markets globally.
West Texas Intermediate crude for August delivery dropped $0.75, or 1.04 percent, settling at $71.33 per barrel, providing an additional tailwind for sentiment across Asian trading floors.
