PHOTO
Chinese stocks advanced for a fourth session on Friday, after data showed profits at industrial firms extended gains in September while policy measures helped sentiment.
** The blue-chip CSI 300 Index gained 1.4% and the Shanghai Composite Index added 1% at close.
** Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index and the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index both finished roughly 2% higher.
** For the week, the CSI 300 was up 1.5%, while the Hang Seng added 1.3%.
** Global shares rose after data showed the U.S. economy was growing robustly and traders awaited a U.S. core inflation report later in the session that may show price pressures are continuing to abate.
** Profits at China's industrial firms extended gains for a second month in September, adding to signs of a stabilising economy as authorities launched a burst of supportive policy measures.
** More than 30 Chinese listed companies vowed to buy back shares or increase stakes in their firms late on Thursday. Firms have spent more than 10 billion yuan ($1.37 billion) in buybacks so far in October, state media Securities Times reported.
** Foreign investors bought a net 4.6 billion yuan ($628.6 million) of Chinese shares via the Stock Connect on Friday, the biggest purchase in two weeks.
** Electric vehicle battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology rose 3.7% after Chairman Robin Zeng proposed to buy back shares worth 2 billion-3 billion yuan. The new energy sector jumped 3.8%.
** Shares in healthcare surged 4.8%, and automobiles added 1.8%. Tech giants listed in Hong Kong also rose 2.5%.
** There tend to be a lot of buybacks when market is near the bottom, and the market had fully priced in various pessimistic scenarios, said Yang Delong, chief economist at First Seafront Fund Management.
** On the geopolitical front, China's top diplomat Wang Yi said on Thursday the United States and China need "in-depth" and "comprehensive" dialogue to reduce misunderstandings and stabilize bilateral relations. ($1 = 7.3176 Chinese yuan) (Reporting by Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Varun H K)