China's stock market jumped 3.97 percent in heavy trade on Friday, posting a weekly gain of 9.57 percent, on the back of hopes for an early recovery of the Chinese economy.

The Shanghai Composite Index closed at 2,181.24 points, its highest level since October 2008. Its weekly gain was the biggest since mid-November.

The stock market and Chinese bond yields have risen sharply this week, and the yuan has surged against the dollar in the offshore forwards market, on news of an improving China purchasing managers' index (PMI) and strong growth in bank loans.

The data do not so far indicate a strong, sustainable recovery of the economy -- the January PMI remained below its neutral line of 50, and the lending rise occurred because of government pressure on banks, which could add to their bad loans.

But investors have been piling back into the stock market, worried that they might miss an uptrend. Cyclical stocks which could benefit most from economic recovery outperformed on Friday, with SAIC Motor, the biggest auto maker, climbing 4.88 percent to 7.51 yuan.

The index's rise on Friday took it well above technical resistance at the December peak of 2,100 points. Some analysts see the next major resistance at the late September peak of 2,333 points.