By Japan +0.63%. Japan data: Q4 GDP (revised) 0.0% q/q (preliminary was +0.2%).
Bank of Japan is unlikely to make any changes to its monetary policy in the upcoming meeting.
China -0.02%. China February inflation data: CPI 1.0% y/y (expected 1.9%) & PPI -1.4% y/y (exp. -1.3%).
Hong Kong +0.31%.
Australia +0.05%.
India -0.30%.
Overnight in the U.S., major stock indexes were mixed as traders parsed stronger than expected economic data, sparking concerns of bigger rate increases following Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s congressional speech. The Dow dipped 58.06 points, or 0.18%, to end at 32,798.40, while the S&P 500 edged 0.14% higher to settle at 3,992.01. The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.4% to finish at 11,576.00.
Job openings fell in January but remained elevated and still outnumber available workers by a nearly 2 to 1 margin, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
New Zealand retail data for February, sales unchanged m/m from January.
Oil prices were largely steady on Thursday. U.S. crude held at $76.66 a barrel. Brent crude was largely unchanged at $82.67 per barrel.Gold was slightly higher. Spot gold was traded at $1814.79 per ounce.
US futures lower. Dow Jones -0.03%; S&P 500 -0.07%; Nasdaq -0.14%.
