Investing.com - Asian shares were mostly weaker on Friday in a light regional data day that saw many players on the sidelines ahead of key U.S. nonfarm payrolls data that will play a major role in determining the scope for a Fed rate hike in the coming weeks.
The consensus forecast is that the data will show jobs growth of 180,000 in August, following an increase of 255,000 in the preceding month.
A strong nonfarm payrolls report would reinforce the view that a U.S. rate hike in September may be on the cards, after hawkish signals from senior Fed officials in recent days revived speculation of a near-term rate hike.
The Nikkei 225 fell 0.22% and the S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.73%. The Shanghai Composite edged out a 0.02% gain.
Overnight, U.S. stocks were mixed after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Technology, Basic Materials and Consumer Services sectors led shares higher while losses in the Utilities, Financials and Oil & Gas sectors led shares lower.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.10%, while the S&P 500 index declined 0.01%, and the NASDAQ Composite index climbed 0.27%.