Shares were mixed Friday in Asia after markets closed nearly flat on Wall Street, though the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq composite still logged record highs.
Most Asian markets were closed to mark the Lunar New Year. Investors remain cautiously optimistic about prospects for a new round of government aid as the economic recovery seemingly stalls.
The latest U.S. government report on jobless claims reaffirmed that employment remains a weak spot in the economy, even as vaccine distribution ramps up in the hopes of eventually ending the pandemic.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index lost 0.1% to 29,520.07 and the A&P/ASX 200 declined 0.6% to 6,806.70. Weak economic data are serving to “fog up the glass," Stephen Innes of Axi said in a commentary. “Global