China stocks end up 0.5 pct, B shrs hit 18-mth high

SHANGHAI, Nov 13 (Reuters) - China's key stock index edged up 0.46 percent on Friday, boosted by the upbeat outlook for the economy and company earnings, while foreign currency-denominated B shares jumped to an 18-month high.

The Shanghai Composite Index .SSEC ended at 3,187,647 points, posting a 0.7 percent weekly gain.

Gaining Shanghai A shares outnumbered losers by 601 to 270 while turnover edged up to 163 billion yuan ($23.88 billion) from Wednesday's 144 billion yuan.

The Shanghai U.S. dollar-denominated B-share index ended up 9.42 percent at 251.192 points, nearly rising by its 10 percent daily limit.

Share prices and trading volume soared on the much smaller B share market, as expectations mounted for renewed yuan appreciation against the dollar, analysts said. ($1=6.826 Yuan) (Reporting by Claire Zhang and Edmund Klamann)