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Shares in Asia were set to see opening gains on Friday as investors watched for more details about a potential trade deal between China and the U.S.
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Futures pointed to a higher open for the Nikkei 225 in Japan. The Nikkei futures contract in Chicago was at 21,785, as compared to the benchmark index’s last close at 21,724.95.
Australia’s ASX 200, however, slipped 0.5 percent in early trade as almost all sectors declined.
The stock markets in China and Hong Kong are closed on Friday for a holiday.
Overnight on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 166.50 points to close at 26,384.63 and the S&P 500 gained 0.2% to finish its trading day at 2,879.39. The Nasdaq Composite, on the other hand, posted a 0.1% loss and closed at 7,891.78.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump expects to announce the date of a trade summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping later in the day, lifting market sentiment stateside. CNBC later reported, however, that sticking points like enforcement mechanisms on any agreed upon deal remain an issue.
The two economic powerhouses have been locked in an ongoing trade fight, imposing tariffs on billions of dollars worth of each other’s goods since 2018, leaving stock markets rattled and raising concerns over the global economy.
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 97.308 after rising from the 97.0 handle yesterday.
The Japanese yen, widely seen as a safe-haven currency, traded at 111.64 against the dollar after seeing highs below 111.5 in the previous session. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7112 after a turbulent session yesterday that saw it swinging around $0.711.
— CNBC’s Fred Imbert contributed to this report.