A person wearing a protective mask walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, in Tokyo. Asian shares were trading mixed Friday ahead of a closely watched U.S. jobs report that may affect global interest rates. –
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 added 0.4% to finish at 27,509.46. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.6% to 7,558.10. South Korea's Kospi added 0.5% to 2,480.40. Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 1.4% to 21,660.47, while the Shanghai Composite dropped 0.7% to 3,263.41. “The key risk event will be today’s U.S. jobs reports, where the pace of payroll additions is expected to cool again, while the unemployment rate is likely to have risen slightly,” said Anderson Alves at ActivTrades.