SINGAPORE — Stocks in Asia-Pacific edged higher in Thursday trade, as investors watch for movements in mainland Chinese stocks, which are set to return from the Lunar New Year holiday.
The Nikkei 225 in Japan rose 0.68% in early trading while the Topix index advanced 0.2%. South Korea’s Kospi hovered above the flatline.
Shares in Australia rose in morning trade as the S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.12%.
Australia’s jobs data for January, including the unemployment rate for the month, is expected at around 8:30 a.m. HK/SIN.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan traded 0.07% higher.
Currencies
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 90.951 following a recent rise from levels below 90.3.
The Japanese yen traded at 105.88 per dollar, weaker than levels below 105.6 against the greenback seen earlier this week. The Australian dollar was at $0.7759 after seeing levels around $0.78 earlier in the trading week.
Here’s a look at what’s on tap:
- Australia: Jobs data for January, including unemployment rate, at 8:30 a.m. HK/SIN
Source: CNBC