Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Friday. This follows after losses on Wall Street, with concerns over Middle East tensions keeping investors on edge. U.S. crude futures rose around 5% overnight and ticked higher again on Friday morning on concerns that Israel could strike Iran’s oil industry in retaliation for Tehran’s missile attack this week. The Tokyo Tower, left, and commercial and residential buildings in Minato district of Tokyo, Japan, on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. Photographer: Akio Kon/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
SINGAPORE — Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Friday following losses on Wall Street, with concerns over Middle East tensions keeping investors on edge in the run up to September’s U.S. payrolls report.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.46% in its first hour of trade.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 0.34%, while the broad-based Topix inched up 0.41%. South Korea’s Kospi was trading 0.19% higher, while the Kosdaq rose 0.74%.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures were at 22,091, lower than the HSI’s last close of 22,113.51. Markets in mainland China will reopen on Oct. 8. Chinese stocks had been on a tear after authorities announced a slew of support measures last week.
October trading has had a shaky start as rising tensions in the Middle East weigh on investor sentiment. Following a decline in stocks on Tuesday due to Iran’s missile strike on Israel, investors are bracing for more unpredictability as Israel begins a ground operation in Lebanon.
U.S. crude futures rose around 5% overnight and ticked higher again on Friday morning on concerns that Israel could strike Iran’s oil industry in retaliation for Tehran’s missile attack this week. U.S. President Joe Biden on