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Asia-Pacific mixed as S&P 500 stateside sails to another record high overnight

  • Chinese inflation data is expected on Friday, with the consumer price index and producer price index for March set to be out at around 9:30 a.m. HK/SIN.
  • The S&P 500 on Wall Street saw its second straight record close overnight.

In this article

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SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific were mixed in Friday morning trade, with the S&P 500 on Wall Street cruising to yet another record closing high overnight.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 jumped 1.1% in early trade while the Topix index advanced 0.88%. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.35%.

Stocks in Australia, on the other hand, dipped as the S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.1%.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan traded 0.12% higher.

Technology shares in Asia-Pacific rose were mixed in Friday morning trade. Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group slid 0.3% while shares of LG Electronics in South Korea jumped almost 2%. That came 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 and oil

The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 92.07 after an earlier decline from levels around 92.4.

The Japanese yen traded at 109.27 per dollar, stronger than levels above 109.5 against the greenback seen yesterday. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7659, higher than levels around $0.76 seen earlier in the week.

Oil prices rose in the morning of Asia trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures up 0.19% to $63.32 per barrel. U.S. crude futures advanced 0.34% to $59.80 per barrel.

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

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