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The upscale shopping district of Ginza in Tokyo, Japan, on Saturday, May 4, 2024.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets were set to mostly climb Friday as investors await a slew of economic data in the region.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 is set to open higher with the futures contract in Osaka last trading at 37,150 and the contract in Chicago at 37,055 against the index's last close of 36,985.87.
Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 is also set to open higher, with futures standing at 8,388, higher than the index's last close of 8,348.7.
Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 23,492, lower than its last close of 23,544.31.
Investors are parsing South Korea's PPI figures for April and New Zealand's retail sales for the first quarter of the year, which came out early Friday.
Japan and Singapore are slated to report inflation data for April, and Taiwan is releasing its industrial output figures later in the day.
U.S. stock futures were little changed as investors continue to evaluate the effect of higher U.S. Treasury yields on the economy. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 14 points, or 0.03%. Nasdaq 100 futures were marginally lower, while S&P 500 futures ticked up 0.03%.
Overnight stateside, the three major averages closed mixed as investors grappled with fears of rising rates and worries about a ballooning U.S. deficit. The 30-year Treasury yield hit its highest since 2023 as lawmakers passed a bill that investors fear could worsen the U.S. deficit.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 1.35 points, closing at 41,859.09. The S&P 500 lost 0.04% and ended at 5,842.01, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.28% and settled at 18,925.73.
— CNBC's Lisa Kailai Han and Yun Li contributed to this report.
Japan's core inflation climbs to 3.5%, highest in more than 2 years
Japan's core inflation accelerated to 3.5% in April, government data showed on Friday, as persistent cost pressure strengthens the case for the central bank to focus on exiting its decade-long ultra-easy monetary policy.
The core inflation figure, which strips out prices for fresh food, was higher than expectations of 3.4%, according to economists polled by Reuters, marking the highest level since January 2023, according to LSEG data.
Headline inflation climbed 3.6% from a year ago, staying above the Bank of Japan's 2% target for more than three years, steady from the prior month.
Read the full story here.
—Anniek Bao
South Korea producer prices climb at slower rate in April
South Korea's September producer prices in April slowed to 0.9% year-on-year, compared to 1.3% in March.
On a monthly basis, the PPI fell 0.1% after two consecutive months of no change.
The producer price index tracks the changes in prices between producers, compared to the consumer price index, which tracks changes in consumer prices.
—Lee Ying Shan
S&P 500 closes little changed
The S&P 500 closed little changed on Thursday afternoon.
The market benchmark slipped 0.04% to close at 5,842.01. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed about 1 point and finished at 41,859.09. The Nasdaq Composite, on the other hand, added 0.28% to settle at 18,925.73.
— Lisa Kailai Han
Citi expects growth to weaken in second half of 2025
Citi is seen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on March 3, 2025.
NYSE
Citi expects a worst economic outlook for the second half of the year.
The bank attributed this partially to U.S. consumers and firms frontloading their spending to get ahead of tariffs.
"As the full effects of the tariffs come online — likely over the next few months — demand could face a double blow. The tariffs could reduce real purchasing power, and in addition, frontloaded purchases will be 'paid back,'" global chief economist Nathan Sheets wrote in a Wednesday note. "As such, we view the current period as still the 'calm before the storm,' and we expect growth in the second half of the year to weaken."
— Lisa Kailai Han
English (US)