Asian stocks ended broadly higher on Friday as Apple's impressive earnings helped spur some bargain hunting at lower levels after a big sell-off earlier this week amid hawkish Fed comments.
Chinese shares fell to close at a 16-month low ahead of next week's Lunar New Year holiday. The Shanghai Composite Index dropped 32.81 points, or 1 percent, to 3,361.44 despite state-backed newspapers and fund houses trying to calm investor nerves.
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Market Analysis
May 01, 2026 15:54 ET Central banks dominated the economics news flow this week with almost all major ones announcing their latest policy decisions and many boosted expectations for a rate hike in June. In other news, several countries released the preliminary data for first quarter economic growth. In the U.S., comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell were also in focus as his term ends this month.