Asian markets were mixed Thursday as investors acted with caution due to weak economic data from the United States, coupled with the continued stalemate in Washington over a new coronavirus emergency aid package.
Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei index ended 0.4 percent lower, while the S&P/ASX index in Sydney earned 0.6 percent. Seoul’s KOSPI index gained 1.2 percent, and the TSEC index in Taipei was up 0.8 percent.
In late afternoon trading, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was down 1.2 percent, Shanghai’s Composite index was up 0.1 percent, and Mumbai’s Sensex was 0.7 percent higher.
A private survey released Wednesday by payroll services company ADP showed private employers added just 167,000 jobs in July, far below the 1.2 million jobs predicted by economists.
In commodities trading, gold continued its record-breaking pace, selling at $2,065.70 per ounce, up 0.8 percent. U.S. crude oil was selling at $42.31 per barrel, up 0.2 percent, while Brent crude oil was selling at $45.41 per barrel, up 0.5 percent.
All three major U.S. indices were trending positively in futures trading.