Hong Kong  - Hong Kong shares jumped almost 3 per cent in a late buying spree Friday, pushing the Hang Seng Index back above 20,000 with its biggest one-day increase in six weeks.

The index climbed 556.94 points, or 2.82 per cent, to end the day at 20,318.62 with most of the gains coming in the last hour of trading.

Turnover was a robust 75.6 billion Hong Kong dollars (9.75 billion US dollars.)

Friday's surge in prices, driven by improved market sentiment, saw Hong Kong shares gain 1.1 per cent in value over the course of the week after two consecutive weeks of losses.