Hong Kong blue chips rose above 20,00 on the last day of trading before the break next Monday through Wednesday for Chinese New Years. Local big banks surge after healthy gains.
A rebound in U.S. markets helped China and Hong Kong bounce back from huge losses Thursday. Chinese banks rebounded after a surge in lending lifted loan values for the month.
China stocks are stuck in a narrow range for now, pulled up by prospects of credit easing in China and down by an unending flow of bad news about Europe's debt crisis.