Asian shares fell Friday as investors waited for American employment data and details of US-Chinese trade talks.
Benchmarks in Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong fell while Australia edged up.
The central bank has said it is prepared to cut rates to shore up the US economy if trade disputes crimp growth, reports AP.
The Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.3 per cent to 2,996.86 and Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 declined 0.1 per cent to 21,672.30. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shed 0.1 per cent to 28,755.25.
South Korea’s Kospi gave up 0.4 per cent to 2,100.32 while Sydney’s S&P-ASX 200 gained 6 points to 6,723.60. New Zealand advanced while Taiwan and Singapore declined.
US markets were closed Thursday for the Independence Day holiday.
Benchmark US crude lost 60 cents to $56.72 per barrel in electronic trading On the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained $1.09 on Thursday to close at $57.34.
Brent crude, used to price international oils, declined 4 cents to $63.26 per barrel in London. It lost 52 cents the previous session to $63.30.
The dollar was little-changed at 107.83 yen. The euro declined to $1.1281 from $1.1286.