Employees work at the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), operated by Japan Exchange Group Inc. (JPX), in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024.
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Japan stocks bounced Friday, while most markets in the Asia-Pacific region stay shut for a public holiday.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 index gained 0.53%, after falling about 1.5% in the previous session. The broader Topix rose 0.67% following declines of 1.7%.
The Japanese yen will be closely watched during the session amid speculation of a possible intervention after the currency recently hit 34-year lows against the U.S. dollar at 151.97. It last traded at 151.45 against the greenback.
South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.2% moments after opening for trade, while the smaller-cap Kosdaq shed 0.45%.
Markets mainland China will be open for trading. Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Australia and New Zealand were among the major Asia-Pacific markets shut for the Good Friday holiday.
On Wall Street, the benchmark S&P 500 index clocked its best first-quarter performance in five years.
The index ended Thursday 0.11% higher, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.12%. Both indexes closed at record highs. The Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.12%.
— CNBC’s Lisa Kailai Han and Pia Singh contributed to this report.