SINGAPORE — Stocks in Asia-Pacific looked set to trade mixed at the open, with Australia’s jobs data for March expected later on Thursday.
Futures pointed to a mixed open for Japanese stocks. The Nikkei futures contract in Chicago was at 29,630 while its counterpart in Osaka was at 29,590. That compared against the Nikkei 225’s last close at 29,620.99.
Shares in Australia looked set to dip. The SPI futures contract sat at 6,955 as compared to the S&P/ASX 200’s last close at 7,023.10.
Australia’s jobs data for March, including the unemployment rate for that month, is set to be out at around 9:30 a.m. HK/SIN on Thursday.
Covid developments
In coronavirus developments, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel decided Wednesday to postpone a decision on Johnson and Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine following the development of a rare but potentially life-threatening blood-clotting disorder in six women.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked states to temporarily halt using J&J’s Covid-19 vaccine “out of an abundance of caution.”
All that comes as authorities globally are racing to inoculate their populations as the virus continues to spread, with the World Health Organization warning Monday that the trajectory of the pandemic is “growing exponentially.”
Overnight on Wall Street, the S&P 500 shed 0.41% to close at 4,124.66 while the Nasdaq Composite declined about 1% to finish its trading day at 13,857.84. The Dow Jones Industrial Average nudged 53.62 points higher, closing at 33,730.89.
Currencies
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 91.69 following its decline from above 92.1 earlier in the week.
The Japanese yen traded at 108.93 per dollar, stronger than levels above 109.6 against the greenback seen earlier this week. The Australian dollar was at $0.7724, having climbed from levels below $0.765 yesterday.
Here’s a look at what’s on tap:
- Australia: Jobs data for March at 9:30 a.m. HK/SIN
Source: CNBC