Asia-Pacific markets were mixed in early trading Friday as investors remained cautious after U.S. lawmakers were unable to move forward with a coronavirus ballot.
Australia’s ASX 200 rose 0.24% immediately after the market opened, with the underweight with heavily weighted financials up 0.75%. Shares of major banks in the country rose most, with the National Australian Bank rising 1.78%.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 added 0.23%, but the Topix index was fractionally lower. The South Korean Kospi index fell 0.22%.
The session in Asia last night followed a mixed finish on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 has yet to reach its record high of February. That was despite positive data on U.S. unemployment that came in well below what economists predicted, implying that the U.S. labor market began to improve.
U.S. lawmakers appear to be on the mend over the next round of coronavirus assistance, and an agreement on legislation and passing a bill appears to be weeks away.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she will not resume talks with Republicans on the issue until they increase their $ 1 trillion housing offer. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow also told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” that the administration and Democrats were at a “stalemate.”
The US dollar traded lower against a rate of its peers as the dollar index fell 0.07% to 93,269. The Japanese yen changed hands at 106.96 against the dollar and the Australian dollar traded close flat at $ 0.7146.
— CNBC’s Fred Imbert contributed to this report.
.
