Asian stocks ended mixed on Friday after Beijing's strategic commitment to deepen tech investment. After announcing a conservative 2026 GDP growth target of 4.5-5 percent, China pledged substantial investment in high-tech sectors, benefiting artificial intelligence, chipmakers, and biotech firms.
Regional sentiment was cautious, however, as the Middle East war unleashed by U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran swelled outwards to Cyprus, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Azerbaijan, raising concerns about the outlook for trade, prices and investment.
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May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.