Asia stocks to end 2016 on buoyant note, euro calms after early spike

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.5 percent on Friday, diverging from Wall Street, which posted slight declines overnight. In a year marked by major political surprises, including Brexit in June and the unexpected election of political novice Donald Trump as U.S. President in November, Asia Pacific ex-Japan stocks are poised to record a 3.8 percent gain. Despite the modest figure -- the Dow Jones Industrial Average, in contrast, is up a whopping 14 percent -- that