Among other things, markets pointed downward in the closing trade on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, while the Hong Kong Stock Exchange is closed for a holiday.
However, the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Nikkei 225 index closed up 0.9 percent, representing an increase of 5.7 percent since the turn of the year.
The Seoul Stock Exchange's Kospi index rose even more sharply, ending up 2.7 percent. This brings the year-to-date gain to 27.6 percent.
The Stockholm Stock Exchange ended the trading week with a fall of 1.4 percent on Maundy Thursday, down 1.1 percent since the turn of the year.
Like most Western stock exchanges, the Stockholm Stock Exchange is closed on Good Friday.
