Asia: Markets finish mixed, Japanese stocks hit by stronger yen

Asian stocks ended Friday's session mixed with Hong Kong shares trading higher but indices in Japan and mainland China falling amid continuing market volatility.

The Nikkei 225 plunged 1.39% to 1,533, the Hang Seng rose 0.53% to 23,023, while the Shanghai Composite declined 0.66% to 2,341.

Exporters led Japanese lower on Friday due to a stronger yen after a Federal Reserve official said that US policymakers could delay the end of their bond-buying programme following a recent drop in inflation expectations. The move saw the dollar weaken against the Japanese currency.

"Japan’s Nikkei [was] well in the red on global growth jitters and stronger JPY hurting exporter equities," explained Mike van Dulken, head of research at Accendo Markets.

Nevertheless, stocks in Hong Kong were boosted by reports that the number of pro-democracy protesters had eased as the police stepped up its efforts.

Over in Indonesia, the JSX index surged 1.6% to 5,029 after the inauguration of Joko Widodo.

Investors in China were also looking ahead to the Fourth Plenum annual meeting next week at which Chinese leaders could hint at ideas to boost flagging economic growth.

Gross domestic product estimates for the third quarter will also be due out next Tuesday, with consensus expecting a slowdown in annual growth from 7.5% to 7.2%.