Asian Shares Muted In Lackluster Trade

(RTTNews) - Asian stocks were mixed in lackluster trade on Friday despite U.S. President Donald Trump describing a phone call with his Chinese counterpart as "very good" and saying it "resulted in a very positive conclusion for both countries."

The president also said the two countries' teams will be "meeting shortly at a location to be determined" and noted the conversation was focused "almost entirely" on trade.

Traders seem reluctant to take long positions as the European Central Bank indicated a possible end to its rate easing cycle and new data showed filings for U.S. unemployment benefits rose to their highest level in eight months last week.

The focus is now on the U.S. Labour Department's closely watched monthly jobs report due later in the day.

Economists expect employment to increase by 130,000 jobs in May after an increase of 177,000 jobs in April. The unemployment rate is expected to hold at 4.2 percent.

Gold prices rose in Asian trade and headed for a weekly gain as the U.S. dollar faced a weekly loss due to signs of economic fragility and stalled trade negotiations.

Oil was slightly lower but headed for its first weekly gain in three as optimism over peak seasonal demand offset lingering concerns about oversupply.

China's Shanghai Composite index was marginally lower and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index slipped 0.3 percent as Trump's phone call offered little relief on trade tensions.

Japan's Nikkei gained 0.4 percent. The U.S. Treasury Department said on Thursday that BoJ policy tightening should continue to proceed in response to domestic economic fundamentals.

South Korean markets remain closed for a public holiday. Australia's benchmark S&P/ ASX 200 was marginally higher, led by mining and energy stocks. Across the Tasman, New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX-50 index was little changed with a positive bias.

U.S. stocks fluctuated before ending in the red overnight as investors weighed potential progress in U.S.-China trade talks against another round of downbeat economic data.

China and the U.S. have agreed to more tariff talks amid a trade standoff and concerns over rare earths, President Trump said after speaking to Xi Jinping over the phone.

In economic news, weekly jobless claims hit a seven-month high, while a record drop in imports resulted in the narrowest U.S. trade gap since November 2023.

Fed policymakers indicated on Thursday that inflation remains a greater concern than labor market cooling, suggesting a prolonged hold on monetary policy adjustments. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 0.8 percent, the S&P 500 gave up half a percent and the narrowed Dow closed 0.3 percent lower.

Tesla shares plunged over 14 percent as Elon Musk and Trump's simmering feud devolved into a public war of words.

European stocks closed slightly higher on Thursday as the European Central Bank lowered its key rates by 25 basis points but hinted at a pause in its year-long easing.

The pan European STOXX 600 gained 0.2 percent. The German DAX rose 0.2 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 inched up 0.1 percent, while France's CAC 40 eased 0.2 percent.