Asia-Pacific markets declined on Friday as investors digested key economic data from Japan, including household spending and pay figures.
By 12:15 pm AEDT (1:15 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200, Japan’s Nikkei 225, and South Korea’s Kospi 200 posted losses of 0.4% 1% and 0.1%, respectively.
Among data releases, Japan's real household spending fell 0.4% year-on-year, less than the expected 0.6% drop and an improvement over October's 1.3% decline.
Meanwhile, Australia's household spending indicator released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed a 0.4% increase in November, following a 0.9% rise in the previous month.
In the U.S., markets were closed on Thursday in observance of former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral. However, traders prepared for the release of December’s nonfarm payroll data on Friday, with expectations of a 160,000 job gain, down from November’s 227,000 increase, while unemployment is expected to remain steady at 4.2%.
Chinese markets saw mixed results on Thursday. The Shanghai Composite Index slid 0.6% to 3,211.4, and the CSI 300 edged down 0.3% to 3,779.9.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index fell 0.2% to 19,240.9. Indian equities also retreated, with the BSE Sensex down 0.7% at 77,620.2.
European markets ended the day mixed. The UK’s FTSE 100 Index rose 0.8% to 8,319.7, while Germany’s DAX slipped 0.1% to 20,317.1. France’s CAC 40 gained 0.5% to close at 7,490.3.