Asia-Pacific markets traded lower on Friday as investors reacted to developments surrounding the Strait of Hormuz after Iran reportedly released a restrictive draft plan for managing traffic through the strategic waterway.
By 11:50 am AEST (1:50 am GMT), Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.1%, Japan's Nikkei 225 had fallen 1.3%, and South Korea's KOSPI 200 declined 1.7%.
In Japan, household spending unexpectedly weakened in June, with government data showing weather-related factors weighed on consumer activity.
Consumer spending dropped 3.3% year-on-year, marking a seventh consecutive monthly decline and missing market expectations for a 1% increase, according to data from Japan's internal affairs ministry.
On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, household spending fell 6.4%, compared with forecasts for a 3.1% decline.
The weaker regional session followed a negative close on Wall Street overnight. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.9%, the S&P 500 declined 0.2%, and the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.1%.
In commodities, ICE Brent crude gained 3.8% on Thursday to settle at US$82.49 a barrel, while spot gold eased 0.2% to US$4,239.43 per ounce.
Chinese markets ended mixed on Thursday, with the SSE Composite Index rising 0.6% to 3,900.4, while the CSI 300 slipped 0.2% to 4,651.3.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped 1.5% to 25,530.3, while India's BSE Sensex gained 0.5% to 78,954.8.
European markets also delivered a mixed performance. The UK's FTSE 100 declined 0.2% to 10,867.9, while Germany's DAX edged 0.1% higher to 26,140.1 and France's CAC 40 rose 0.4% to a record close of 8,699.7.
