Asian markets mostly rise at end of a tough week

HONG KONG: Most Asian markets rose Friday as beleaguered investors trudged into the weekend after a painful few days, with confidence dealt a heavy blow by the Delta variant, Chinese regulatory crackdowns, disappointing economic data, and brewing geopolitical tensions. The gains came despite another tepid lead from Wall Street,
which was pulled between better-than-expected US retails sales and an above-forecast reading on jobless claims. Thursday's readings were not enough to provide any insight into when the Federal Reserve might start winding down the ultra-loose monetary policy that has been key to a global economic and equity rally for more than a year.