Asian shares were mixed in early trading on Friday on revived concerns over the prospects for a breakthrough in trade tensions between the US and China.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 index lost 0.4 per cent to 21,717.57 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong gave up 0.5 per cent to 25,967.01. South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.2 per cent to 2,091.63.
Australia’s S&P ASX 200 was flat at 5,737.50. The Shanghai Composite index edged 0.1 per cent lower to 2,664.81. Shares in Southeast Asia were mostly higher, reports AP.
Gains for technology companies and banks helped reverse an early slide for US stocks Thursday, breaking a five-day losing streak for the market.
The S&P 500 index rose 1.1 per cent to 2,730.20. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.8 per cent to 25,289.27. The Nasdaq composite climbed 1.7 per cent to 7,259.03.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies picked up 1.4 per cent to 1,524.12.
Benchmark US crude oil rose 20 cents to $56.66 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It added 0.4 per cent to settle at $56.46 a barrel on Thursday.
Brent crude, used to price international oils, gained $24 cents to $66.86 a barrel. Despite the latest uptick, US crude oil is still down about 13.5 per cent for the month.
The dollar slipped to 113.40 yen from 113.64 yen on Thursday. The euro strengthened to $1.1341 from $1.1326. The pound steadied at $1.2790, up from $1.2771.
