SINGAPORE — Asia-Pacific markets mostly rose in Friday morning trade, as shares of China Evergrande Group surged in Hong Kong following media reports that the embattled developer is set to pay off a coupon payment on a dollar-denominated bond.
Shares of Evergrande in Hong Kong surged 4.65% in Friday morning trade. The broader Hang Seng index in the city gained 0.36%. Mainland Chinese stocks were also higher, with the Shanghai composite up 0.14% while the Shenzhen component climbed 0.271%.
Chinese media reported Friday that debt-ridden developer China Evergrande Group was preparing to pay the interest on a bond that was due September 23 before the grace period ended on Saturday.
The Nikkei 225 rose 0.82% while the Topix index gained 0.52%. South Korea's Kospi advanced 0.05%.
Australian stocks were lower as the S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.14%.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan traded flat.
S&P 500 record close
The S&P 500 rose 0.3% overnight on Wall Street to a new record close of 4,549.78. The Nasdaq Composite also gained 0.62% to 15,215.70 while the Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged, slipping 6.26 points to 35,603.08.
Currencies and oil
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 93.738 as it struggles to recover after slipping from above 94 earlier this week.
The Japanese yen traded at 114.14 per dollar, still stronger than levels above 114.4 seen against the greenback earlier this week. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7482 after yesterday's drop from above $0.75.
Oil prices were higher in the morning of Asia trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures rising 0.65% to $85.16 per barrel. U.S. crude futures gained 0.56% to $82.96 per barrel.
— CNBC's Evelyn Cheng contributed to the report.
