Asian shares mixed after broad rally on Wall Street

By ELAINE KURTENBACH
AP Business Writer

Stocks are trading mixed in Asia after a broad rally on Wall Street as investors keep an eye on the spread of the new coronavirus variant and measures governments are taking to restrain it. Hong Kong slipped more than 1% while Tokyo edged lower. Shanghai and Seoul were higher while Sydney was nearly unchanged. On Thursday, the S&P 500 rose 1.4% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.8%. The Nasdaq rose 0.8%. Small-company stocks outpaced the rest of the market. Crude oil prices rose after OPEC stuck to its plans to boost output via steady, modest monthly increases.