Reuters - Asia share indexes hovered just below record highs Friday as mixed U.S. economic data caused some investors to show restraint after a global stock market rally pushed many bourses to heights.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.03%, trading just shy of an all-time high reached in the previous session. Australia stocks lost 0.31%. Shares in Tokyo fell 0.32%, pulling back from 30-year highs.
Futures for the S&P 500 were off 0.12%.
Markets in Greater China and most of Southeast Asia are closed Friday for the Lunar New Year holiday. China's stock and bond markets, foreign exchange and commodity futures markets are closed through Feb. 17.
Bitcoin prices rose again to a record after BNY Mellon said it would offer custodian services for cryptocurrencies. The dollar headed for a weekly loss, stung by bitcoin's assent and disappointing U.S. economic data.
Trading Thursday in the U.S. and Europe didn't move prices enough to provide much direction, said Tom Piotrowski, a market analyst at CommSec in Sydney.
"We didn't get much of a lead-in from the Northern Hemisphere," Piotrowski said. "Markets are in a bit of a holding pattern waiting for the next catalyst and it is just a question of whether that catalyst is going to be a positive one or a negative one."
World stock markets held close to highs Thursday as investors weighed some tepid economic data against increasing vaccinations against COVID-19 and the prospect that more government spending and continued cheap money from central banks will drive higher growth and, eventually, inflation.
The MSCI world equity index, which tracks shares in 49 countries, fell 0.12% Friday, also pulling back from a record high.
On Wall Street, the Nasdaq and S&P 500 eked out gains of 0.4% and 0.2%, respectively, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.02%.
Enthusiasm was tempered when U.S. President Joe Biden said China was poised to "eat our lunch," raising fears of renewed strain on China-U.S. ties.
U.S. weekly unemployment claims fell less than expected and core consumer prices rose at a slower pace, which caused some traders to temper the optimism about the economic outlook.
Cryptocurrency bitcoin reached a record high of almost $49,000 before paring gains to trade up 0.57% at $48,282. BNY Mellon said it will form a new unit to help clients hold, transfer and issue digital assets.
Spot gold fell 0.22% to $1,821.86 per ounce. U.S. gold futures fell 0.19% to $1,823.30. Gold prices are still on track for their best week in three amid broad dollar selling.
The dollar index drifted 0.02% lower Friday, on course for a 0.6% weekly decline.
Soft demand at an auction of $27 billion of new 30-year Treasurys Thursday continued to weigh on prices in Asia Friday.
The yield on 10-year U.S. Treasurys rose to 1.1632%, while the 30-year yield edged up to 1.9468%.
Brent crude fell 0.69% to $60.72 a barrel, having dropped half a percent the previous session. U.S. oil fell 0.81% to $57.77 a barrel, after falling by 0.8% Thursday.
