China benchmark down 0.81%

Asian stocks ended mixed on Friday, with Japan's Nikkei hitting a record high on the back of a weaker yen and strong gains in the tech sector while Chinese and Hong Kong markets retreated after a survey showed China's factory activity shrank for a seventh month in October.

Easing U.S.-China tensions as well as strong earnings from e-commerce giant Amazon and iPhone maker Apple helped limit regional losses, if any.

China's Shanghai Composite index fell 0.81 percent to 3,954.79 after an official survey showed a measure of China's manufacturing activity contracted more than expected to hit a six-month low of 49.0 in October, down 0.8 percentage points from the previous month.

The non-manufacturing PMI edged up to 50.1 from 50.0 in the previous month, matching expectations.

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