Asian stock markets were mixed on Friday after Wall Street rose to a record high as investors waited for US jobs data for an update on how COVID-19 flareups are affecting the biggest global economy.
Taipei, Shanghai and Seoul declined while Tokyo advanced. Hong Kong and Sydney were little changed.
The TAIEX lost 0.44 percent to close at 17,526.28 points, paring its weekly gain to 1.62 percent.
Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index gained after investors were encouraged on Thursday by a decline in US unemployment claims. They were watching for Friday’s monthly employment report for an indication of how new disease flareups and renewed anti-disease curbs might be affecting hiring and wages.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index on Friday rose 0.33 percent, or 91.92 points, to end at 27,820.04, while the broader TOPIX inched up 0.02 percent, or 0.36 points, to 1,929.34 points.
“The Nikkei index is supported by a positive US market and a weaker yen,” Okasan Online Securities Co senior strategist Yoshihiro Ito said.
“But selling ahead of tonight’s US job data and a three-day weekend [in Japan] weighed on” the local market, he added.
Nintendo Co dove 7.22 percent after it said first-quarter net profit fell nearly 13 percent as the video-game sector’s COVID-19 lockdown boom loses momentum.
Nikon Corp surged 8.44 percent after it booked a better-than-expected operating profit for the first quarter.
Among other shares, Sony Corp advanced 0.35 percent, while Uniqlo casualwear operator Fast Retailing Co climbed 0.25 percent.
The KOSPI in Seoul lost 0.2 percent to 3,270.36, but rose 2.1 percent for the week, while the ASX/S&P 200 in Sydney was little-changed at 7,538.40, up 2 percent weekly.
India’s SENSEX lost 0.4 percent to 54,277.72 points, paring its weekly gain to 3.2 percent.
New Zealand, Bangkok and Jakarta declined, while Singapore advanced.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index closed lower on Friday, hit by concerns over tightening government regulations and rising COVID-19 cases in China, even as southbound inflows from mainland investors offered support.
At the close of trade, the Hang Seng Index was down 25.29 points, or 0.1 percent, at 26,179.40, although it finished the week up 0.84 percent.
The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index fell 0.25 percent to 9,273.55, up 0.4 percent for the week.
The daily drop came as China on Friday reported its highest daily count for new COVID-19 infections in its latest outbreak. The rise in cases has fueled concern about the outlook for China’s uneven economic recovery.
The sub-index of the Hang Seng tracking healthcare firms fell 2.26 percent.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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