STI regains 3,200 level as calm returns to Wall St

ASIAN stocks flashed green on Friday, encouraged by Wall Street's firm handover overnight, as investors came round to the view that the latest exchange of tariffs between the US and China could inflict less economic damage than many had envisaged.

The Hang Seng Index rose 1.73 per cent, and the Shanghai Composite Index added 2.5 per cent. Japan's Topix gained 0.9 per cent to hit a four-month high, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index rose 0.4 per cent, and Korea's Kospi added 0.7 per cent, recording its second straight weekly gain.

The local bourse was similarly lifted, with the Straits Times Index (STI) regaining the 3,200-point mark for the first time this week.