SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific fell in Friday morning trade as investors await the Bank of Japan’s monetary policy statement.
The Nikkei 225 led losses among the region’s major markets as it dropped 1.31% in early trade, while the Topix index slipped 0.6%. South Korea’s Kospi declined 0.49%.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.1%.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan traded 0.13% lower.
Looking ahead, the Bank of Japan is set to release its monetary policy statement at 11:00 a.m. HK/SIN on Friday.
Overnight stateside, the S&P 500 shed 0.33% to 4,360.03 while the Nasdaq Composite dipped 0.7% to 14,543.13. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 53.79 points to 34,987.02.
Currencies and oil
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 92.578 after a recent bounce from below 92.4.
The Japanese yen traded at 109.75 per dollar, stronger than levels above 110.4 seen against the greenback earlier this week. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7422 following a decline from around $0.748 yesterday.
Oil prices were lower in the morning of Asia trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures slipping 0.38% to $73.19 per barrel. U.S. crude futures declined 0.33% to $71.41 per barrel.
Here’s a look at what’s on tap:
- Japan: Bank of Japan monetary policy statement at 11:00 a.m. HK/SIN
Source: CNBC