U.S. markets closed higher on Friday after a broad rally and closed at record highs for their second weekly advance in light trading. The DOW JONES added +0.13% closing at 18,053.71 points. The S&P 500 added +0.33% with a final quote of 2,088.77 with eight of the ten sectors of the S&P adding gains.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose by +1.72% to 23,751.92 points. China's Shanghai Composite closed at 3,169.13 points, a plus of +0.37%, the highest since January 2010, as Chinese markets opened after the Christmas holiday break. Markets were supported by gains in U.S. indices and the new Chinese rules that will facilitate lending.

Japan's Nikkei declined by 1% shedding early gains after the health ministry announced a suspected case of the Ebola virus. The Nikkei closed at 17,729.84 points, a loss of -0.50%. This weekend the Japanese Government approved a 3.5 Trillion Yen fiscal stimulus to strengthen its economy and restore the country's public finances.