The Stoxx Europe 600 Index was little changed on the day and up 0.5 percent for this week. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index was down 0.5 percent, headed for a 0.6 percent weekly loss. Japan’s Topix index lost 1.3 percent on trading volumes that were about 20 percent below average.
Japanese stocks fell to three-week lows on Friday, hit by a fall on Wall Street and as investors stayed cautious before a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, but companies announcing share buybacks attracted buying.
The Nikkei share average ended 1.2 percent lower at 16,360.71 points, its lowest closing level since August 5.
China stocks were little changed on Friday, as renewed slides in property shares erased gains earlier in the day.
The blue-chip CSI300 index fell 0.1 percent to 3,307.09, while the Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.1 percent to 3,070.31.
Hong Kong stocks rose on Friday but were flat for the week, reflecting investor caution ahead of a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.
The Hang Seng index rose 0.4 percent, to 22,909.54, while the China Enterprises Index gained 0.5 percent, to 9,550.04 points. For the week, the market was roughly flat.
Reference: Reuters, Bloomberg
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