BANGKOK — World shares were mostly higher on Friday after the worst day for Nvidia’s stock since last spring dragged U.S. stocks lower.
U.S. futures fell as investors focused on comments by Block CEO Jack Dorsey on his company’s decision to lay off 40% of its workforce because of labor-saving artificial intelligence.
The future for the S&P 500 edged 0.1% lower while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3%.
Germany’s DAX rose 0.3% to 25,373.74, while the CAC 40 picked up less than 0.1% to 8,625.54. Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.5% to 10,904.24.
In Asian trading, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 edged 0.2% higher to 58,850.27.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng jumped 1% to 26,630.54, while the Shanghai Composite index advanced 0.4% to 4,162.88.
South Korea’s Kospi lost 1% to 6,244.13 as traders sold to lock in profits from recent gains.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 closed 0.3% higher at 9,198.60, while India’s Sensex lost 0.8%.
On Thursday, the S&P 500 shed 0.5% and the Dow industrials added less than 0.1%. The Nasdaq composite sank 1.2%. to 22,878.38.
U.S. inflation data is due out later Friday. A report showed that the number of U.S. workers applying for unemployment benefits ticked up last week, but not by any more than economists expected. It also remains relatively low compared with history.
Nvidia, whose chips are helping to power the AI boom, reported another stellar quarter of profit growth that breezed past analysts’ expectations. Its forecast for revenue in the current quarter again topped Wall Street estimates. But such blowout performances have become so typical for Nvidia that they’re losing their oomph. Its stock sank 5.5% for its worst loss since April.
Shares in Block, formerly known as Square, gained 5% on Thursday before it reported bet