Shanghai Stock Exchange

Asian stock markets traded mostly higher Friday, with Japanese blue chips swinging to gains in the afternoon session.The rise for the major markets came as Hong Kong and Seoul were closed for holidays, curbing trading volumes in bourses that were open.Japan's Nikkei Stock Average closed 0.7% higher, undoing losses from the morning session and erasing Thursday's 0.4% retreat, which had followed a major jump of 2.3% on Wednesday.Losses for Wall Street overnight had helped dampen sentiment earlier in the day, as the S&P 500 (SPX) finished down 0.5% after a Federal Reserve official tipped a pullback in the central bank's easing programs could come as soon as this summer.But offsetting the U.S. loss were domestic data showing Japan's core machinery orders -- seen as a leading indicator of capital investment -- jumped 14.2% in March, well above forecasts.Real-estate shares were a strong spot for the Tokyo market, as some major names rebounded from recent losses. Among them, Mitsui Fudosan Co...

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