HONG KONG — Asian shares were mixed on Friday after Wall Street retreated as investors were rattled by uncertainties brought by U.S. President Donald Trump.
U.S. futures were nearly unchanged and oil prices advanced.
Chinese markets declined for a second day. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng tumbled 2% to 23,733.02 after China kept its key lending rates unchanged. Traders have been unloading technology shares following recent gains.
The Shanghai Composite index lost 0.9% to 3,376.96.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 added 0.5% to 37,933.13 as the markets reopened after a holiday on Thursday. Japan reported its core inflation rate fell less than forecast, partly boosted by a surge in rice prices due to a shortage of supplies.
Elsewhere in Asia, Korea’s Kospi picked up 0.1% to 2,643.59, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose by 0.4% to 7,947.30.
Bangkok’s SET gained 0.5% and the Taiex in Taiwan fell 0.4%.
On Thursday, the S&P 500 slipped 0.2% to 5,662.89, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped less than 0.1 % to 41,953.32. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.3% to 17,691.63.
Wall Street has been swinging for weeks on a roller-coaster ride, as stock prices veer on uncertainty about what Trump’s trade war will do to the economy. Stocks got a boost Wednesday after the head of the Federal Reserve said the economy remains solid enough at the moment to leave interest rates where they are.
More data arrived Thursday to support that view. One report said slightly fewer U.S. workers filed for unemployment benefits last week than economists expected.
A separate report said sales of previously occupied homes were stronger last month than economists expected, while a third said manufacturing growth in the mid-Atlantic region appears to be better than economists expected.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell stressed on Wednesday that extremely high uncertainty is making it difficult to forecast what will happen