-- Chinese shares rose on Friday, rebounding from Thursday's decline, amid hopes that geopolitical tensions will ease and mixed inflation data.
The Shanghai Composite Index, the main gauge of Chinese stocks, rose 0.5% to 3,986.22. The Shenzhen Component Index jumped 2.2% to 14,309.47.
The U.S. and Iran are set to start talks on Saturday in Islamabad, with no specific timeline regarding their duration, The Guardian reported.
Meanwhile, China's consumer price index logged a 1% annual rise in March, slower than the 1.3% increase in February and the 1.2% rise expected by economists polled by Reuters. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, went up 1.1%.
China's factory gate prices ended their 41 consecutive months of decline in March, with the producer price index rising 0.5% after a 0.9% decline in February. The March reading was higher than the 0.4% gain estimated in a Reuters poll.
In company news, Nanchang Sanrui Intelligence Technology (SHE:301696) shares closed 273% higher than their initial public offering price of 24.68 yuan apiece on their first day of trading on the Shenzhen bourse.
GRIM CT (SHA:688811) shares jumped 167% at the end of Friday's session from their IPO price of 6.41 yuan apiece on their Shanghai debut.