Asia stocks mixed; Evergrande shares jump following reports it will pay interest due on bond

SINGAPORE — Asia-Pacific markets were mixed on Friday, as shares of China Evergrande Group surged in Hong Kong following media reports that the embattled developer is set to pay off a coupon payment on a dollardenominated bond

Shares of Evergrande in Hong Kong surged 4.26% on Friday. Evergrande Property Services Group also saw its stock jump 1.7%. The Hang Seng Properties index advanced 1.4% to 31,928.03

The broader Hang Seng index in the city rose 0.42% on the day to 26,126.93. Mainland Chinese stocks closed mixed, with the Shanghai composite falling 0.34% to 3,582.60 while the Shenzhen component climbed 0.332% to 14,492.82

Chinese media reported Friday that debt-ridden developer China Evergrande Group was preparing to pay the interest on a bond that was due September 23 before the grace period ended on Saturday

Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.34% to close at 28,804.85 while the Topix index gained about 0.1% to finish the trading day at 2,002.23

South Korea’s Kospi closed mildly lower at 3,006.16, with shares of Samsung SDI surging nearly 2% following an announcement that the firm will form a joint venture with automaker Stellantis to produce battery cells and modules for North America

Australian stocks were muted as the S&P/ASX 200 closed flat at 7,415.50

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan climbed 0.26%