Meanwhile, shares in Australia traded higher, with the S&P/ASX 200 up 0.52%. Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index traded 0.34% higher. Markets in China are closed on Friday for a holiday. Investor reaction to the ongoing coronavirus situation in the U.S. continued to be watched on Friday, after the country suffered its single-biggest daily coronavirus cases surge on record. More than 45,000 new coronavirus cases were confirmed on Wednesday, a record that surpassed the previous April 26 peak by over 9,000 cases, according to an NBC News tally. "The burden on healthcare systems may force city or state ... (full story)