- Investor focus on Friday will likely be on the coronavirus situation in the U.S., as daily new cases of the virus continue to rise in the country, setting fresh records.
- U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell warned Thursday that the "next few months could be challenging" despite the positive vaccine news from earlier in the week.
- Traders will also watch Hong Kong-listed shares of Chinese tech juggernaut Tencent after the firm announced Thursday its quarterly profit rose more than 80% from last year.
SINGAPORE — Stocks in Japan were set to trade lower at the open on Friday as coronavirus cases continue to surge in the U.S., dimming optimism from positive vaccine news earlier in the week.
Futures pointed to a lower open for Japanese stocks. The Nikkei futures contract in Chicago was at 25,345 while its counterpart in Osaka was at 25,260. That compared against the Nikkei 225's last close at 25,520.88.
Meanwhile, shares in Australia dipped in early trade, with the S&P/ASX 200 down about 0.3%.
Traders will also watch Hong Kong-listed shares of Chinese tech juggernaut Tencent after the firm announced Thursday its quarterly profit rose more than 80% from last year.
Investor focus on Friday will likely be on the coronavirus situation in the U.S., as daily new cases of the virus continue to rise in the country, setting fresh records.
U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell warned Thursday that the "next few months could be challenging" despite recent developments on the vaccine front.
"From our standpoint, it's just too soon to assess with any confidence the implications of the news for the path of the economy, especially in the near term," Powell said regarding the vaccine.
Overnight on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 317.46 points to close at 29,080.17. The S&P 500 slipped 1.0% to finish its trading day at 3,537.01, while the Nasdaq Composite dipped 0.7% to close at 11,709.59.
Currencies
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was last at 92.958 following its rise this week from levels below 92.8.
The Japanese yen traded at 105.10 per dollar, having weakened steeply from levels below 104.3 against the greenback earlier in the trading week. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7233 after seeing levels above $0.726 for the week so far.
— CNBC's Fred Imbert contributed to this report.
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