BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher on Friday, with Japan’s benchmark registering strong gains for a second straight day. Oil prices and U.S. futures declined.
Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index climbed 1.4% to 40,139.90, while the Japanese yen sank further after the central bank governor indicated that interest rate hikes might be delayed by threats to the economy such as higher U.S. tariffs on imports.
The dollar fell to 157.66 Japanese yen from 158.00 yen. It had been trading below 150 yen until the past few days.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng edged 0.1% higher to 20,120.54, while the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.3% at 3,407.89.
South Korea's Kospi was the outlier, falling 1.4% to 2,393.60 after the country's main opposition party submitted a motion on Thursday to impeach the country’s acting leader over his reluctance to fill three Constitutional Court vacancies ahead of the court’s review of rebellion charges against impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol stemming from his short-lived martial law decree on Dec. 3.
“U.S. equities are stuck in a holding pattern as trading volumes dry up following the holiday break,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary. “Liquidity remains razor-thin, and market moves appear more about year-end housekeeping than aggressive positioning.”
The S&P 500 fell less than 0.1% to 6,037.59 after spending the day wavering between small gains and losses. The tiny loss ended the benchmark index’s three-day winning streak.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1% to 43,325.80 and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.1% to 20,020.36.
Trading volume was lighter than usual as U.S. markets reopened following the Christmas holiday.
Semiconductor giant Nvidia, whose enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes, slipped 0.2%. Meta Platforms fell 0.7%, and Amazon and Netflix each fell 0.9%.
Tesla was among the biggest decliners in the S&P 500, finishing 1.8% lower.
Some tech companies fared better. Chip company Broadcom rose 2.4%, Micron Technology added 0.6% and Adobe gained 0.5%.
Health care stocks were a bright spot. CVS Health rose 1.5% and Walgreens Boots Alliance added 5.3% for the biggest gain among S&P 500 stocks.
Several retailers also gained ground. Target rose 3%, Ross Stores added 2.3%, Best Buy rose 2.9% and Dollar Tree gained 3.8%.
Traders are watching to see whether retailers have a strong holiday season. The day after Christmas traditionally ranks among the top 10 biggest shopping days of the year, as consumers go online or rush to stores to cash in gift cards and raid bargain bins.
U.S.-listed shares in Honda and Nissan rose 4.1% and 16.4%, respectively. The Japanese automakers announced earlier this week that the two companies are in talks to combine.
The Labor Department reported that U.S. applications for unemployment benefits held steady last week, though continuing claims rose to the highest level in three years.
Wall Street has several economic reports to look forward to next week, including updates on pending home sales and home prices, a report on U.S. construction spending and snapshots of manufacturing activity.
In other dealings early Friday, U.S. benchmark crude oil picked up 7 cents to $69.69 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gained 7 cents to $72.92 per barrel.
The euro slipped to $1.0412 from $1.0424.
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AP Business Writers Alex Veiga and Matt Ott contributed.
