AFP, Hong Kong :
Asian markets climbed Friday following a strong performance on Wall Street, with Hong Kong leading the way as forecast-beating earnings reports by tech titans Alibaba and Baidu sent their shares soaring.
The positive mood put the region on course to end the week on a healthy note, and came after Federal Reserve minutes indicated the US central bank could take a breather in hiking interest rates if inflation shows signs of easing later in the year.
Still, confidence on trading floors remains at a premium owing to a range of crises including soaring prices, tighter monetary policy, China’s Covid lockdowns and the war in Ukraine. Investors were in a buying mood Friday as Hong Kong jumped more than three percent with market heavyweight Alibaba piling on more than 12 percent and search engine Baidu advancing more than 15 percent.
