Asian shares have mostly gained after China’s central bank released plans for supporting the stock market through share repurchases by companies and major shareholders. Beijing also reported that the Chinese economy slowed further in the last quarter,

China’s 200 million-strong army of retail investors was supposed to help the market turn a corner. Instead, it has become a source of weakness.

U.S. stocks were mostly rising midday Friday, with all three major benchmarks on track for weekly gains. The S&P 500 was up 17 points, or 0.3%, at almost 5,859. The Nasdaq Composite was advancing nearly 102 points, or 0.6%, to 18,475.