Asian stocks mixed as investors await US jobs data

Mettis Global reported that Asian stocks were mixed on Friday as traders grew wary before US nonfarm payrolls data scheduled for later that day. Investors were watching the release for signals on the Federal Reserve's rate path, and higher bond yields and crude prices also dampened appetite for riskier assets. Hong Kong led the regional declines, with the Hang Seng Index sliding 3% to a level near 23,900, its weakest in 11 weeks.

Elsewhere, Japan's Nikkei 225 lost 0.9% and the TOPIX dropped 1.1%, while KOSPI in Seoul ticked up 0.3% and Sydney's ASX 200 added 0.5%. Singapore's Straits Times Index eased 0.3%, and mainland China and India were shut for holidays. The US 10-year Treasury yield touched 5.34% on Thursday, the highest since 2002, before slipping to roughly 5.25% during Asian hours.

Core consumer prices in Tokyo reached 2.7% year on year in September, up from 1.8% the previous month and above the 2.4% market forecast. The Bank of Japan has lifted its policy rate to 1.25%. Investors are weighing whether a further hike could follow at its October or December gatherings. Brent crude traded above $102 a barrel, while WTI traded near $92.46, with Middle East developments and China's oil-product export policy adding to uncertainty.