Investing.com - Asian shares were mixed Friday in morning sessions, showing little reaction to the European Central Bank's move to introduce negative deposit rates, but alert ahead of U.S. jobs data.
The Nikkei 225 was flat. while Shanghai Composite was off 0.63% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.25%.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.4% and South Korean markets were closed.
At the close of U.S. trade, the Dow 30 rose 0.59%, the S&P 500 index gained 0.65%, while the NASDAQ Composite index climbed 0.89%.
The U.S. Department of Labor said the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending May 31 increased by 8,000 to 312,000 from the previous week’s revised total of 304,000. Analysts had expected jobless claims to rise by 6,000 to 310,000 last week.
Market participants now turned their attention to Friday's report on U.S. nonfarm payrolls for further indications on the strength of the U.S. job market after a data on Wednesday showed that private sector employment rose less than expected last month. A net gain of 218,000 jobs is expected.
Global equities found support after the ECB lowered its benchmark interest rate to a record-low 0.15% from 0.25% and said it will be conducting a series of Targeted Longer Term Refinancing Operations (TLTROs) to support lending in the euro zone.