HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Most Asian stocks ended lower on Friday, even as the Chinese and the Vietnamese markets were closed for a public holiday.

The stocks in Tokyo slipped 0.19 per cent as profit-taking measures set in and the investors were waiting for a jobs report from the United States to be released later in the day.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index eased 27.62 points to finish at 14,457.51, while the Topix index of all first-section shares was flat, inching up 0.02 per cent, or 0.28 points, to end at 1,182.48

The shares in Singapore ended 0.37 per cent lower on Friday. The Straits Times Index fell 12.16 points to close at 3,252.55.

Meanwhile, the stocks in Hong Kong rose by 0.57 per cent, with the benchmark Hang Seng Index gaining 126.70 points to finish at 22,260.67. — VNS