Investing.com - Asian Pacific shares took a step back at the opening on Friday, mirroring Wall Street's cautious sentiment after digesting a series of underwhelming economic data.
Byh 11:15 am AEDT (12:15 am GMT) The S&P/ASX 200, Nikkei 225, and KOSPI 200 fell 0.1%, 0.3% and 0.6% respectively.
In North America, U.S. stocks faced downward pressure as the market absorbed weaker economic data, signaling the impact of the Federal Reserve's rate hikes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 126 points or 0.4%, while the S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite Index both saw less than 0.1% declines. The 10-year Treasury yield fell to around 4.44%, indicating a decrease in borrowing costs.
In the commodities markets, Brent crude oil dipped 4.5% to US$77.52 a barrel, while gold rose 1.1% to US$1,981.00.
In Australian bond markets, the yield on 2-year government bonds remained steady at 4.22%, while the 10-year yield dropped to 4.55%. The Australian dollar declined to 64.63 US cents from the previous close of 65.07.
Chinese shares ended the day lower, likely due to sluggish home price data for October despite a host of stimulus measures and China's pledge to attract more foreign investment and boost consumption. The benchmark Shanghai Composite declined 0.7% to 3050.93.
Hong Kong shares also fell in early trading, with the Hang Seng Index down 1.3% at 17839.19. The local tech index slipped 1.5% to 4065.23.
Japan's Nikkei Stock Average fell by 0.3% to close at 33424.41, while India's benchmark Sensex rose 0.5% to close at 65982.48, reversing earlier losses.
European stocks also struggled for direction. The STOXX Europe 600 Index dropped 0.7% to 451.27, France's CAC 40 dipped 0.6% to 7,168.40, while Germany's DAX rose 0.2% to 15,786.61. The FTSE 100 index in the UK closed down 1% to 7410 points, pulled down by oil-exposed stocks, miners, and a poor update from luxury retailer Burberry.