Asian Shares Mixed In Thin Holiday Trade

(RTTNews) - Asian stocks ended mixed in thin trade Friday, with markets in China, Indonesia, Taiwan and South Korea closed for public holidays.

Gold held steady in Asian trade and the dollar traded higher as investors awaited annual revisions to monthly U.S. inflation data, due later in the day for clues to the Federal Reserve's progress in taming consumer prices.

On Thursday, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Thomas Barkin said that the U.S. central bank has time to be patient before cutting rates.

Oil prices were on course for a weekly gain after hopes of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas fizzled out.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 0.83 percent to 15,746.58, extending losses for a third day running on concerns over China's struggling economy and heightened geopolitical tensions in the idle East.

Iran and Iraq have warned that a wave of U.S. strikes against militants backed by Tehran could trigger greater instability across the region.

Japanese shares hit fresh 34-year highs before closing on a flat note.

Sentiment was underpinned after comments from Bank of Japan governor Kazuo Ueda suggested that the central bank is in no rush to shift its easy policy settings.

The Nikkei average finished marginally higher at 36,897.42 while the broader Topix index settled 0.19 percent lower at 2,557.88.

SoftBank Group surged 8.7 percent to extend gains from the previous session after it posted earnings that beat analysts' expectations.

Nissan Motor plunged 11.6 percent after trimming its sales volume forecast for this financial year.

Australian markets ended a choppy session marginally higher after Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Michele Bullock said there is some way to go to meet the central bank's inflation target.

Technology and telecommunications stocks performed well, while utilities and energy stocks led losses.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P NZX-50 index finished marginally lower at 11,862.95 after ANZ Bank New Zealand forecast that the central bank will raise interest rates twice more this year.

U.S. stocks eked out modest gains overnight as investors reacted to better-than-expected earnings, fresh Fed comments and higher yields following a large auction of 30-year government bonds.

In economic releases, data showed applications for U.S. unemployment benefits fell for the first time in three weeks.

The S&P 500 touched the milestone of 5,000 for the first time and set a record high before finishing marginally higher.

The Dow and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite edged up 0.1 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively.