People walking through the neon lit night streets of Sinchon in the heart of Seoul, South Korea’s vibrant capital city.
Fotovoyager | E+ | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets were set to mostly rise Friday, tracking Wall Street gains overnight as President Donald Trump signed a reciprocal tariffs plans, but did not enact the levies them immediately.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 started the day 0.67% higher, after hitting a intra-day record in the previous session.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 was set to open slightly higher, with the futures contract in Chicago at 39,485 while its counterpart in Osaka last traded at 39,470, against the index’s last close of 39,461.47.
Futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index stood at 21,941 pointing to a stronger open compared to the HSI’s close of 21,814.37.
South Korea’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate hit 2.9% in Januaryeasing from its three-year high of 3.7% in the month before.
Meanwhile, India’s wholesale price inflation, capturing price changes by wholesalers, is expected to rise 2.5% in January, more than 2.3% growth in the previous month.
Over in Southeast Asia, Singapore is expected to release its fourth-quarter GDP data later in the day. Analysts polled by Reuters expect a 4.7% uptick in growth, from 4.3% in the previous quarter.