Asia opens timidly higher as investors assess stimuli

Asian stock indices opened the last session of the week mixed but mostly higher, with China, Australia, Hong Kong, and South Korea, while New Zealand lost ground. 

US President Donald Trump said the FDA is currently testing malaria drugs to deal with the coronavirus, with initial results promising. 

The World Health Organization announced the latest global death toll from the virus at 8,778 among 210,000 infected cases in 168 countries. 

Otherwise, Bank of England voted to cut interest rates by 15 basis points to 0.1% while raising the assets purchase program to 645 billion pound, while the European Central Bank also announced an emergency program to purchase 750 billion euros of bonds to bolster the economy.  

China's CSI 300 rose 0.57%, while Shanghai added 0.44% to 2,714. 

Hong Kong's Hang Seng surged 3.05%, while South Korea's KOSPI powered up 3.8% to 1,513. 

New Zealand's NZX 50 fell 0.37%, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 spiked 1.72% to 4,865.