By Pete Schroeder
WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Asian stocks were set to pull back on Friday, following a dip on Wall Street as disappointing U.S. jobs data fanned concerns the economic recovery from the coronavirus was losing momentum.
Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO was down 0.49% in early trading, while {{178|Japan's NiNikkei 225 futures NKc1 were down 0.08%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index futures .HSI .HSIc1 were down 0.44%.
The MSCI's global stock index .MIWD00000PUS was up 0.06%.
An unexpected increase in the number of Americans seeking jobless benefits weighed on markets across the board Thursday. The Labor Department reported initial unemployment claims rose by 13,000 to 861,000, injecting skepticism about how quickly the U.S. economy could rebound from the global pandemic.
At the same time, investors continued to eye the risks about higher inflation once the economy kicks back into gear and the upward pressure that might put on interest rates.
"With improved vaccination rollout, the world will be quick to normalize. With additional fiscal stimulus providing rocket fuel to the inflationary fire, it's hard not to think more rates pain will hit many asset classes," wrote Stephen Innes, chief global markets strategist at Axi.
On Wall Street, stocks fell as investors stepped away from large technology firms and a surprise jump in U.S. jobless claims injected some skepticism into the market that had seen record highs earlier in the week.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 0.38%, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 0.44%, and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC 0.72%. Treasury yields were down as well Thursday on waning risk appetite. The benchmark 10-year yield US10YT=RR , which touched 1.333% on Wednesday, its highest level in nearly a year, was last down 1.3 basis points at 1.2855%. dollar also eased following the weak U.S. jobs data. The dollar index =USD was off 0.33% at 90.601 following two straight days of gains, while the euro EUR=EBS and yen JPY=EBS both gained ground. markets saw some profit taking on Thursday, driving down prices after days of gains driven by a deep freeze across Texas that weighed on production. Brent crude LCOc1 fell 41 cents, or 0.6%, to settle at $63.93 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 futures fell 62 cents, or 1%, to settle at $60.52 a barrel. surged nearly 3% to its highest since April 2012 as Chinese investors returning from a week-long holiday added impetus to a rally that has almost doubled prices from lows last March, when coronavirus worries peaked. .CMCU3
Spot gold XAU= was down 0.08% at $1,774.76 an ounce. Global assets
http://tmsnrt.rs/2jvdmXl Global currencies vs. dollar
http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh Emerging markets
http://tmsnrt.rs/2ihRugV MSCI All Country World Index Market Cap
http://tmsnrt.rs/2EmTD6j
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>