Investing.com - Asian shares were mixed with Tokyo continuing to post gains with markets awaiting nonfarm payrolls data in the U.S.
Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.53%, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.50%. In Greater China, the Shanghai Composite fell 0.74%, while the Hang Seng index gained 0.33%.
China Huishan Dairy Holdings shares fell 90% in March has reached a deal with more than half of its Chinese creditors on a debt restructuring plan representing above two-thirds of the outstanding amount it owes, the company said in a filing to the Hong Kong Exchange.
Ahead, investors awaited the release of nonfarm payrolls data during U.S. hours. Private-sector jobs created in October had come in at 235,000, topping expectations.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) reported adjusted EPS of $2.07 vs. $1.87 expected by a Thomson Reuters and revenues of $52.6 billion vs. $50.7 billion expected.
Overnight, U.S. stocks closed higher as President Donald Trump nominated Governor Jerome Powell to lead the U.S. central bank while bullish labor market data raised optimism for a strong employment report due Friday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed higher at 23,515.67. The S&P 500 closed 0.02% higher while the Nasdaq Composite closed at 6714.94, roughly flat.
As expected, U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell is his nominee to be the next chairman of the U.S. central bank.
The decision came after investors had to contend with several market-moving events as the House of Republican tax plan was unveiled while upbeat labor market reports pointed to underlying strength in the U.S. economy.
The U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday that initial jobless claims fell 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 229,000 for the week ended Oct. 28, a steeper drop than economist had expected.
In a separate report, the Labor Department said that nonfarm productivity, which measures hourly output per worker, rose at a 3% annualized rate, outpacing economists’ forecasts of 2.4%.
On the corporate front, shares of both Facebook (NASDAQ:NASDAQ:FB) and Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:NASDAQ:TSLA) fell as the latter revealed earnings late Wednesday that fell short expectations.
Tesla suffered its worst financial quarter ever, posting a $610 million loss as it struggled to reach its long-stated goal of producing 5,000 Model 3 cars per week in 2017.