Saturday, October 1, 2022, Tokyo Tower (left) and commercial and residential buildings in Minato Ward, Tokyo. Photographer: Akio Kon/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
SINGAPORE — Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Friday after losses on Wall Street, but concerns over tensions in the Middle East kept investors nervous ahead of September’s U.S. jobs report. .
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.46%. Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.34%, while the broader Topix rose 0.41%. South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.19% and Kosdaq rose 0.74%.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 1.26% in the first hour of trading. Markets in mainland China will reopen on October 8th. Chinese stocks had fallen last week after authorities announced a raft of support measures.
October trading got off to a shaky start as rising tensions in the Middle East weighed on investor sentiment. Investors are bracing for more contingencies as Israel launches ground operations in Lebanon after Iran’s missile attack on Israel sent stocks tumbling on Tuesday.
U.S. crude oil futures rose about 5% overnight, but rose again Friday morning on concerns that Israel could attack Iran’s oil industry in retaliation for this week’s missile attack on Tehran. US President Joe Biden commented on Thursday about possible Israeli retaliation against Iran: “We’re talking about it. I think it’s a little one way or the other.”
Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 184.93 points (0.44%) to end at 42,011.59. The S&P 500 fell 0.17% to close at 5,699.94. The Nasdaq Composite Index ended the day 0.04% lower at 17,918.48 as Nvidia eased downward pressure and rose more than 3%.
—CNBC’s Alex Harring and Pia Singh contributed to this report.
Correction: This article has been updated with the correct date for China market reopening.
