Mumbai, March 6 -- Asian stocks ended mixed on Friday after Beijing's strategic commitment to deepen tech investment. After announcing a conservative 2026 GDP growth target at 4.5-5 percent, China pledged substantial investment in high-tech sectors, benefiting artificial intelligence, chipmakers, and biotech firms.

Regional sentiment, however, was cautious as the Middle East war unleashed by U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran swelled outwards to Cyprus, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Azerbaijan, raising concerns about the outlook for trade, prices and investment.

The dollar was set for its steepest weekly gain in a year as the Iran war unleashed a fresh wave of uncertainty which markets typically dislike.

Gold edged up in Asian trade but was on track...