Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rises 2%; Asia markets mixed ahead of U.S. jobs report

Hong Kong stocks rose in a mixed Asia-Pacific session on Friday as markets continued to process the U.S. Federal Reserve’s 75 basis point interest rate hike. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 2.08%. In mainland China, the Shenzhen Component inched up 0.892%, while the Shanghai Composite Index climbed 0.79%. Japan’s Nikkei 225′s fell 2% in early trade after a holiday on Thursday. The Topix slid 1.44%. In South Korea, the Kospi was about flat. The Kosdaq shed 0.89%. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was 0.7% higher. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.13%. The Reserve Bank of Australia released its monetary policy statement Friday. Qantas’ shareholders meeting and Singapore’s retail sales data are also slated for Friday. The monthly U.S. employment report is scheduled to be released later. Economists expect 205,000 jobs were added in October, and forecast the unemployment rate remained at 3.5%, according to Dow Jones. Overnight, U.S. stocks declined for a fourth consecutive session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 146.51 points, or 0.46%, to close at 32,001.25. The S&P 500 lost 1.06% to finish at 3,719.89, while the Nasdaq Composite shed 1.73% to settle at 10,342.94.