Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed on Friday, with U.S. stocks pulling back from record levels.
Treasury yields rose slightly after inflation data for September came in hotter than expected, while layoffs appeared to be increasing.
By 11:40 am AEDT (12:40 am GMT) the ASX 200 edged down 0.1%, while both South Korea’s Kospi 200 and Japan’s Nikkei 225 advanced 0.4% each.
U.S. equities declined after the inflation report raised questions about the Federal Reserve’s next policy move.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) dipped 0.1% to close at 42,454.1, the S&P 500 slipped 0.2% to 5,780.1, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.1% to 18,282.1.
The U.S. consumer price index (CPI) for September revealed a 2.4% annual increase, slightly above the 2.3% expected.
Core inflation, which excludes food and energy prices, rose 3.3%, also marginally higher than forecasts.
Additionally, a separate report highlighted an unexpected increase in weekly jobless claims.
Among S&P 500 companies, the top performers were CrowdStrike Holdings Inc, which surged 5.6%, The Mosaic Co rising 4.4%, and Micron Technology Inc, which gained 3.9%.
Conversely, First Solar Inc suffered the largest loss, plunging 9.3%, followed by Enphase Energy Inc falling 5.8%, and Advanced Micro Devices Inc dropping 4%.
In commodity markets, Brent crude oil rose 3.3% to $79.09 per barrel, while gold remained steady at $2,629.78 per ounce.
Chinese markets closed mixed, with the Shanghai Composite Index rising 1.3% to 3,301.9, while the Shenzhen Composite Index slipped 0.3% to 1,910.3.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index advanced 3.0% to 21,252.
Meanwhile, India’s BSE SENSEX rose 0.2% to 81,611.4.
In Europe, markets finished lower. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index fell 0.1% to 8,237.7, while Germany's DAX declined 0.2% to 19,210.9, and France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.2% to 7,541.6.
