SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific were mixed in Friday morning trade following an overnight drop for the Dow Jones Industrial Average on Wall Street.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 gained 0.14% while the Topix index slipped 0.55%. South Korea’s Kospi traded fractionally higher.
The S&P/ASX 200 in Australia advanced 0.17%.
Shares of major Australian miners fell following a tumble in commodity prices. Rio Tinto declined 1.48%, Fortescue Metals Group slipped 1.28% and BHP dropped 2.47%.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan traded marginally lower.
Looking ahead, the Bank of Japan is expected to release its statement on monetary policy on Friday, including its interest rate decision.
Overnight on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 210.22 points to 33,823.45 while the S&P 500 slipped fractionally to 4,221.86. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.87% to 14,161.35.
Currencies and oil
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 91.868 following a recent climb from below 91.
The Japanese yen traded at 110.26 per dollar, stronger than levels above 110.5 against the greenback seen yesterday. The Australian dollar was at $0.7548 as it struggles to recover after declining from above $0.768 earlier this week.
Oil prices were lower in the morning of Asia trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures slipping 0.1% to $73.01 per barrel. U.S. crude futures declined 0.15% to $70.93 per barrel.
Here’s a look at what’s on tap:
- Japan: Bank of Japan releases monetary policy statement
