Stock market today: Asian shares mixed as DeepSeek lifts Chinese tech stocks

Asian shares Friday were mixed, with Chinese technology stocks rising even as most Asian equities declined. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 dipped nearly 0.44% in early trading to 38,893.65. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 remained mostly flat, sliding just 0.04% to 8,517.20. South Korea’s Kospi declined 0.23% to 2,530.79. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.35% to 31,173.35, while the Shanghai Composite was up 1.33% to 3,314.29. Chinese technology stocks trading in Hong Kong appear poised to enter a bull market after DeepSeek's AI models sparked renewed interest in Chinese technology. Xiaomi’s stock was up 5.67% Friday to trade at 42.85 Hong Kong dollars, while Alibaba's shares jumped 1.47%. Tencent, China’s largest video game firm, jumped 1.90% to 428.40 Hong Kong dollars.