Asian session: Hang Seng finishes flat, Nikkei closes higher boosted by Wall Street

Hong Kong stocks ended flat on a holiday-shortened session on Wednesday, while Japanese Nikkei closed higher.

On Wednesday Hong Kong stocks ended a holiday-shortened session flat on Wednesday, treading water in thin trade despite a rally in Asian markets fueled by upbeat US growth data.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index added 17.54 points, or 0.08 percent, to 23,351.23, on turnover of HK$39.68 billion.

Hong Kong financial markets are closed Wednesday afternoon ahead of the Christmas Day holiday.

Tokyo stocks finished the session 1.24 percent higher on Wednesday, boosted by record-setting gains on Wall Street and a weak yen in thin post-holiday trade.

The Nikkei 225 index on the Tokyo Stock Exchange ended up 219.09 points at 17,854.23, while the Topix index of all first-section shares climbed 0.92 percent, or 12.97 points, to 1,426.02.