Asian shares were mixed Friday after another global sell-off in bonds pushed U.S. Treasury yields to their highest levels in years.
U.S. stock futures edged higher.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.3% to 66,364.20, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.1% to 24,495.35. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.4% to 8,665.00.
India’s Sensex was up less than 0.1%.
Markets in mainland China, Taiwan and South Korea were closed for a holiday.
On Wall Street, the S&P 500 was almost unchanged Thursday, slipping less than 0.1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3%, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite gained less than 0.1%.
Another global bond sell-off has put fresh pressure on stock markets, with the yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury reaching its highest level since 2007.
The yield eased slightly to around 5.17% early Friday after rising above 5.20% Thursday, compared with about 5.11% on Wednesday.
Government bond yields have remained high as investors demand greater returns amid rising risks and uncertainty. These include increasing inflation pressures linked to the energy shock caused by the war involving Iran and concerns over growing U.S. government debt.
ING Bank analysts said in a commentary this week that higher energy prices and continued inflation pressures were likely to keep pushing U.S. 10-year Treasury yields higher.
Oil prices declined early Friday as investors watched for signs that the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil shipments, could reopen.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 1% to $99.24 a barrel. It remained below the $100 mark but was still well above about $72 a barrel in late February, before the war began.
Investors were also watching a meeting in Washington between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Analysts said the meeting had produced limited concrete progress so far, although the two leaders discussed issues including trade, artificial intelligence and the Middle East.
The U.S. dollar fell to 158.06 Japanese yen from 158.86 yen, while the euro rose to $1.1387 from $1.1380.