Asian stocks turn green at Friday close

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) – Major Asian stock markets posted losses at Friday’s close amid growing concerns over Russia’s war on Ukraine.

The Asia Dow, which includes blue-chip companies in the region, decreased 1.80%, or 64.51 points, to 3,518.10 points at 1000GMT.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 stock exchange shed 2.23%, or 591.8 points, to close at 25,985.5 points.

China’s Shanghai Stock Exchange dove 0.96%, or 33.46 points, to close at 3,447.

The Indian Sensex benchmark fell 1.40%, or 768.9 points, to close at 54,334 points, while the Singapore index slipped 0.83%, or 26.9 points to 3,226.

The Hang Seng, the benchmark for blue-chip stocks trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, went down 2.50%, or 562.05 points, to 21,905.

Following night-long clashes near the city of Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine, Russia took control of Europe's largest nuclear power plant, Ukrainian authorities announced on Friday.