View of the Skytree from Ueno and Asakusa in Tokyo
Jackal Pan | Moment | Getty Images
Japan markets are set to trade higher with most markets in the region closed for Good Friday.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 futures pointed to a higher open for the market. The futures contract in Chicago was at 34,620 and its counterpart in Osaka last traded at 34,510 compared to the index’s previous close of 34,377.6.
Japan’s inflation grew 3.6% year on year in March, marking three straight years that the headline inflation figure is above the Bank of Japan’s 2% target. The figure was lower than the 3.7% seen in February.
The so called “core-core” inflation rate, which strips out prices of both fresh food and energy and is closely monitored by the BOJ, climbed to 2.9% from 2.6% in the month before.
Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore’s markets are closed for the holidays.
Overnight in the U.S., the three major averages closed mixed. The S&P 500 ticked higher in choppy trading on Thursday, but finished the holiday-shortened trading week lower as tariffs continued to worry investors.
The broad index advanced 0.13% to close at 5,282.70 after swinging between gains and losses earlier in the session. The Nasdaq Composite inched down 0.13% to end at 16,286.45. But the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 527.16 points, or 1.33%, to settle at 39,142.23.
Investors have been on alert since Trump first announced his plan for “reciprocal” tariffs — which he later walked back — on April 2.
CNBC’s Alex Harring and Pia Singh contributed to this report.
AloJapan.com