Investing.com - Asian shares gained on Friday with U.S. jobs data set to take center stage later in the day.
The Nikkei 225 gained 0.36%, while the S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.31% and the Shanghai Composite rose 0.52%.
Investors awaited the release of nonfarm payrolls on Friday.
The U.S. Department of Labor reported on Thursday that the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending October 31 increased by 16,000 to 276,000 from the previous week’s total of 260,000. Analysts had expected jobless claims to rise by 2,000 to 262,000.
Overnight, U.S. stocks were lower after the close on Thursday, as losses in the Oil & Gas, Basic Materials and Utilities sectors led shares lower.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.02%, while the S&P 500 index declined 0.11%, and the NASDAQ Composite index lost 0.29%.