SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific dipped in Thursday morning trade following another positive session overnight for the S&P 500 stateside.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 shed 0.36% in early trade while the Topix index slipped fractionally. South Korea’s Kospi declined 0.37%.

Stocks in Australia slid as the S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.32%. Australia’s trade data for December is set to be out around 8:30 a.m. HK/SIN.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares traded slightly lower.

Shares of South Korean automakers Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors jumped 1.83% and 2.35%, respectively, in morning trade. That came after sources told CNBC that Apple is close to finalizing a deal with Hyundai-Kia to manufacture an Apple-branded autonomous electric vehicle at the Kia assembly plant in West Point, Georgia.

On Wednesday, shares of Kia surged following a local media report that the carmaker is set to sign a 4 trillion won (about $3.59 billion) deal with Apple to build electric vehicles, according to Reuters.

Overnight stateside, the S&P 500 rose 0.1% to close at 3,830.17. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 36.12 points to end its trading day at 30,723.60 while the Nasdaq Composite dipped slightly to close at 13,610.54.

The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 91.171 after rising from levels below 90.8 earlier this week.

The Japanese yen traded at 104.99 per dollar after hovering largely around the 105 level against the greenback yesterday. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7632, still off levels above $0.768 seen last week.

Here’s a look at what’s on tap:

• Australia: Trade data for December at 8:30 a.m. HK/SIN

— With reporting from CNBC’s Phil LeBeau and Meghan Reeder.