Hong Kong shares fell on Friday as the local market reopened after the three-day Lunar New Year break, with technology stocks leading the slide, ⁠though oil shares provided some support as concerns of conflict between the United States and Iran sent crude prices higher.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index (HSI) ended the day down 292 points, or 1.1 percent, at 26,413.

The China Enterprises Index was down 110 points, or 1.22 percent, at 8,959, while the Hang Seng Tech index was down 156 points, or 2.91 percent, at 5,211.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei dipped 642 points, or 1.12 percent, to close at 56,825, breaking ⁠a two-week rally to log a 0.2 percent weekly drop. The broader Topix sank 43 points, or 1.1 percent, to 3,808, and edged down 0.3 percent for the week.

Traders said investors stayed away from technology stocks on concern over geopolitical tension between China and the United States, and as a Chinese regulator stepped in to warn against competition among platform operators.

China's ⁠humanoid robots-related stocks climbed as the robots took ⁠centre stage during the annual CCTV Spring Festival gala on Monday, showcasing the ⁠nation's cutting-edge industrial policy and Beijing's push to dominate the field.

Humanoid robots-related stocks climbed with Zhejiang Sanhua Intelligent Controls up 5.6 percent on the HSI, while Shanghai MicroPort MedBot climbed 3.7 percent. ⁠Chinese artificial intelligence startup Knowledge Atlas Technology soared 42.72 percent. (Reuters)



Edited by Aaron Tam