Following the broadly positive cues from Wall Street overnight, Asian stock markets are trading mixed on Friday, as traders react to a raft of economic data from Japan, including GDP data. They also seemed reluctant to make significant moves ahead of the release of the closely watched monthly US jobs report on Friday. Asian markets ended mostly lower on Thursday.
The jobs report could have a significant impact on the outlook for interest rates ahead of the US Fed's monetary policy meeting next week. While the Fed is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged, traders will be looking to the jobs data to provide further evidence the central bank could cut rates as soon as March 2024.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.