The emblem of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), operated by Japan Exchange Group Inc. (JPX), is displayed on the bourse in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020.
Akio Kon | Bloomberg via Getty Images
Shares within the Asia-Pacific fell on Friday ahead of the monthly U.S. jobs report, which is more likely to guide the Federal Reserve’s monetary decision in November.
Payrolls are expected to extend 275,000 in September, and unemployment is predicted to be regular at 3.7%, based on economists surveyed by Dow Jones.
The Nikkei 225 in Japan fell 1.35% and the Topix index slipped 1.29%. South Korea’s Kospi slipped 0.8% and the Kosdaq dropped 0.93%.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.64%. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.41%. Markets in mainland China remain closed for a vacation.
Overnight within the U.S., major indexes fell — the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 346.93 points, or 1.15%, to 29,926.94. The S&P 500 declined 1.02% to three,744.52, while the Nasdaq Composite was 0.68% lower at 11,073.31.
“Equities struggled as markets await the much-anticipated U.S. payrolls data … and as comments from Fed officials maintained a ‘more is required’ vibe,” ANZ Research analysts wrote in a Friday note.
