Financial institution of Japan financial coverage assertion forward

SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific looked set for a mixed start on Friday following an overnight drop for the Dow Jones Industrial Average on Wall Street.

Futures pointed to a higher open for Japanese stocks. The Nikkei futures contract in Chicago was at 29,195 while its counterpart in Osaka was at 29,130. That compared against the Nikkei 225’s last close at 29,018.33.

Meanwhile, shares in Australia looked poised for an opening dip. The SPI futures contract was at 7,305, against the S&P/ASX 200’s last close at 7,359.

Looking ahead, the Bank of Japan is expected to release its statement on monetary policy on Friday, including its interest rate decision.

Overnight on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 210.22 points to 33,823.45 while the S&P 500 slipped fractionally to 4,221.86. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.87% to 14,161.35.

Currencies

The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 91.889 following a recent climb from below 91.

The Japanese yen traded at 110.27 per dollar, stronger than levels above 110.5 against the greenback seen yesterday. The Australian dollar was at $0.7555 as it struggles to recover after declining from above $0.768 earlier this week.

Here’s a look at what’s on tap:

• Japan: Bank of Japan releases monetary policy statement