Investing.com - Asia-Pacific sharemarkets are expected to open lower on Friday, following the trend set by US markets as persistent inflation pressures led to an increase in long-term bond yields and a surge in the US dollar.
By 9:40am AEST (11:40pm GMT) the S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.6%, while KOSPI 200 Futures added 1.1%, and Nikkei 225 Futures gained 0.2%.
This comes after US stocks broke their four-day winning streak due to a report indicating that September consumer prices were up 3.7% from a year earlier, slightly above forecasts. Meanwhile, initial jobless claims remained steady at 209,000, underscoring the resilience of the labour market.
In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 173 points to 33631, while the S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite both dropped by 0.6%.
Commodities recouped overnight losses, with Brent crude oil adding 0.5% to US$86.35 a barrel and gold prices up by 0.1%.
In the bond markets, the yield on Australian 2-Year government bonds was lower at 4.04%, and the 10-Year yield was down at 4.476%. In contrast, US Treasury notes saw an increase, with the 2-Year yield reaching 5.07% and the 10-Year yield hitting 4.7%.
Asian currencies were trading steady after heavy overnight losses, including the Australian dollar, Thai Baht, Indonesian Rupiah, Korean Won, and Vietnamese Dong, while the US dollar index added 0.7%.
Chinese shares ended the day on a high note after China's sovereign wealth fund, Central Huijin Investment, increased its stakes in the country's four top lenders. This news likely boosted investor sentiment. Hong Kong shares also closed higher, primarily led by the banking sector, following Central Huijin's strategic move.
Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 1.75% to close at 32494.66, buoyed by increasing prospects for a pause in Federal Reserve's rate hikes. Meanwhile, Indian stocks edged lower, dragged down by IT stocks.
Meanwhile, European stocks saw gains with the STOXX 600, DAX, and CAC 40 closing higher as oil and defense stocks lead the way.