SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific were set for a mixed start on Friday, with the S&P 500 on Wall Street cruising to yet another record closing high overnight.
Futures pointed to a higher open for Japanese stocks. The Nikkei futures contract in Chicago was at 29,840 while its counterpart in Osaka was at 29,720. That compared against the Nikkei 225’s last close at 29,708.98.
Stocks in Australia, on the other hand, looked poised for an opening dip. The SPI futures contract was at 6,961, as compared to the S&P/ASX 200’s last close at 6,998.80.
Investors will watch technology shares in Asia-Pacific after the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.03% overnight stateside to close at 13,829.31.
Meanwhile, the S&P 500 gained 0.42% to 4,097.17 — its second straight record close. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also advanced 57.31 points to end its trading day at 33,503.57.
In economic developments, Chinese inflation data is expected to be released, with the consumer price index and producer price index for March set to be out at around 9:30 a.m. HK/SIN.
Currencies
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 92.059 after an earlier decline from levels around 92.4.
The Japanese yen traded at 109.28 per dollar, stronger than levels above 109.5 against the greenback seen yesterday. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7656, higher than levels around $0.76 seen earlier in the week.
Here’s a look at what’s on tap:
- China: Consumer price index and producer price index for March at 9:30 a.m. HK/SIN
Source: CNBC