In Asia, futures implied a higher open for equities in Japan. Nikkei futures traded in Chicago were 0.42 percent higher at 19,435 and Osaka futures were up 0.34 percent compared to the benchmark index’s previous close of 19,353.77 on Thursday.
Down Under, SPI futures edged down 0.65 percent to 5,708 compared to the S&P/ASX 200’s last close of 5,745.476.
India markets were closed for a public holiday.
Equities stateside closed slightly lower despite a sharp rise in retail stocks. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 0.13 percent, or 28.69 points, to close at 21,783.4, the S&P 500 edged down 0.21 percent, or 5.07 points, to end at 2,438.97 and the Nasdaq shed 0.11 percent, or 7.080 points, to close at 6,271.326.
In corporate news, Toshiba has been offered $1.9 trillion yen ($17.4 billion) for its memory chip unit, Reuters reported Thursday. The offer was made by a consortium including Western Digital and Innovation Network Corp of Japan, among others.
Meanwhile, Samsung Group’s de facto head, Jay Y. Lee, will receive a court ruling on bribery charges Friday, according to Reuters. Lee has been charged with bribing former South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached earlier this year after being caught up in a corruption scandal.
Market movers during the session could include several Hong Kong-listed corporates that posted results after the market close on Thursday. Those companies included property developer China Vanke, app company Meitu, oil producers CNOOC and telecommunication equipment maker ZTE.
Prices of U.S. crude took a hit while gasoline got a boost as Hurricane Harvey approached the U.S. coast, Reuters reported. Global benchmark Brent crude fell 53 cents to settle at $52.04 a barrel and U.S. crude tumbled 98 cents to $47.43.
Ahead of the Jackson Hole meeting, the dollar index, which tracks the dollar against major currencies, edged up to stand at 93.277 at 7:02 a.m. HK/SIN, compared to an overnight low of 93.139.
Against the Japanese currency, the greenback rose to trade at 109.56 yen. The dollar had fallen below the 109 handle earlier in the week after Trump warned he could shut down the government if he didn’t secure funds to build a proposed border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
Here’s the economic calendar for today (all times in HK/SIN):
- 7:30 a.m.: Japan July CPI and August Tokyo area CPI
- 1:00p.m.: Singapore July industrial production