The U.S. International Trade Commission sided with Microsoft on Thursday in a patent dispute with Google-owned Motorola Mobility that could have gotten Xbox 360 videogame consoles banned from import.

European stock markets rebounded modestly on Friday, following sharp losses suffered the previous day, failing to record bigger gains despite positive German economic data.

Yen trading was volatile in Asia on Friday in tandem with wild swings on the Tokyo stock market, but some analysts said the Japanese currency's weakening trend was likely to continue.

Global oil prices fell on Friday in quiet trading as dealers awaited U.S. economic data, analysts said.

Panicky investors dumped shares on the Tokyo market Thursday, sending the main index plunging more than seven percent on weak Chinese data after months of sharp climbs.

Manufacturing activity in China contracted in May for the first time in seven months, HSBC said Thursday, in another sign of the weakness of recovery in the world's second-largest economy.

Shares of Taiwan-based flat panel supplier Hannstar Display Corp. bucked the downtrend and closed up 6.82 percent Thursday after investors were allowed to engage in credit trading such as margin trades and short sales of the stock starting from that day, due to its higher book value, dealers said.

Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group Thursday announced a jump in net profit for the financial year of 34 percent, despite the slowing PC market.

Chen Yuh-chang, chairman of the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), urged investors Thursday to stay calm after the local market took a dive, sending the index below 8,300 points at the end of the trading session.

Ford announced Thursday it would stop making vehicles at its unprofitable Australian plants in 2016 and ax 1,200 jobs, ending an era that began in 1925 with the legendary Model T.