Asia-Pacific markets opened with mixed performances on Friday as investors reacted to U.S. market declines and awaited the release of the monthly payrolls report.
By 11:30 am AEDT (12:30 am GMT), Australia’s ASX 200 and Japan’s Nikkei 225 had declined by 0.4% and 0.5%, respectively, while South Korea’s Kospi 200 added 0.6%.
U.S. markets fell from Wednesday's record highs, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 248 points, or 0.6%, to close at 44,765.7. The S&P 500 declined by 0.2% to end at 6,075.1, and the Nasdaq Composite slipped by 0.2%, settling at 19,700.3.
Bitcoin continued trading above US$100,000 (A$153,846) throughout Thursday's session, buoyed by President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to nominate Paul Atkins as SEC chair. Atkins, a conservative lawyer, has been critical of stringent cryptocurrency regulations, further boosting sentiment in digital assets.
Consumer discretionary stocks outperformed in the U.S., while technology and communication services gave back some recent gains.
In commodity markets, Brent crude oil edged down 0.1% to $72.3 per barrel, and gold dropped 0.7% to $2,631.5.
Chinese markets performed positively, with the Shanghai Composite Index rising 0.1% to close at 3,368.9, while the CSI 300 advanced 0.2% to finish at 3,921.6.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index declined by 0.9% to close at 19,560.4.
Indian markets also showed strength, with the BSE Sensex increasing by 1.0% to finish at 81,765.9.
In Europe, markets closed higher. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index rose by 0.2% to 8,349.4. Germany’s DAX added 0.6%, closing at 20,358.8, while France’s CAC 40 climbed 0.4% to 7,330.5.
