Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 NIK rose 0.8% in morning trading. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 XJO added 0.8% and South Korea’s Kospi 180721 gained 1.3%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng HSI edged up 0.5%, while the Shanghai Composite SHCOMP rose 0.4%. Stocks slipped in Singapore STI , while benchmark indexes in Taiwan Y9999 , Malaysia FBMKLCI and Indonesia JAKIDX gained.
The strong labor market reports set the stage for the release on Friday of the Labor Department’s snapshot of hiring in December. On Thursday, the S&P 500 SPX fell 1.2% to 3,808.10. The Dow DJIA dropped 1% to 32,930.08. The Nasdaq COMP slid 1.5% to 10,305.24. “The real question for investors tomorrow will be whether the economy continues to grow faster than expected — and faster than the Fed wants — or will it stay in a sweeter spot with continued moderate growth,” he wrote Thursday. “The data suggests the former.”