Asian stock markets rise

Asia-Pacific stocks were broadly higher on Friday after Wall Street posted one of its best days of the year, boosted by gains from Big Tech companies. Investors in Asia will be closely watching the Bank of Japan wrap up its first monetary policy meeting under new BOJ governor Kazuo Ueda today. Japanese stocks The Nikkei 225 rose 0.49 percent and the Topix added 0.55 percent. Japan’s unemployment rate also came in at 2.8 percent for March, above economists’ expectations. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index rose 0.13 percent, while South Korea’s Kospi and the Kosdaq fell 0.8 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 0.77 percent, while the Hang Seng Tech index added 1.41 percent. Mainland Chinese markets were all up, with the Shenzhen Component Index up 0.8 percent and the Shanghai Composite Index up 0.67 percent.