Asia markets enjoy pre-Christmas cheer, euro avoids sell-off

Hong Kong

MOST Asian markets on Friday saw in the Christmas break on a positive note, picking up the baton from Wall Street while the euro stood firm against a sell-off despite a victory for Catalan separatists in a snap poll.

Global equities rallied over the past year on hopes that US President Donald Trump's key election promise to cut taxes would boost corporate profits and put money in people's pockets, but traders cashed in their profits soon after the bill was passed this week.

However, buying perked up again on Thursday on bets that the tax reform will further fire the already healthy US economy, while there was also cheer for news that lawmakers had agreed on a deal to avert a painful govern…