Yukinori Hasumi | Moment | Getty Images<\/p>\n
Asia-Pacific markets were mixed Friday as investors parsed Japan’s latest gross domestic product figures and awaited a slate of other economic data from the region.<\/p>\n
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225<\/a> slipped 0.14%, while the Topix added 0.12% after Japan’s economy contracted<\/a> 0.2% quarter-on-quarter for the three months ended March. Economists polled by Reuters had estimated a 0.1% economic contraction from the prior quarter.<\/p>\n The data comes at a time when the country is locked in trade negotiations with the U.S., with initial talks between both sides not yielding a conclusive deal so far.<\/p>\n A weak outcome for Japan’s GDP can weigh on the Bank of Japan’s rate hike pricing and push USD\/JPY up towards resistance at 148.13, Commonwealth Bank of Australia wrote in a note. The Japanese yen is currently trading at 145.52 against the greenback.<\/p>\n Australia’s benchmark S&P\/ASX 200 added 0.44%. South Korea’s Kospi<\/a> rose 0.33% while the small-cap Kosdaq slipped 0.2%.<\/p>\n Futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index<\/a> stood at 23,235, lower than its last close of 23,453.16.<\/p>\n Hong Kong and Malaysia are also set to report GDP data later in the day.<\/p>\n U.S. stock futures near the flatline after the S&P 500 posted a four-day rally on the back of U.S. and China’s temporary tariff cuts and encouraging inflation reports. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average<\/a>\u00a0added 32 points, or 0.08%.\u00a0S&P 500 futures<\/a>\u00a0slipped 0.03%, while\u00a0Nasdaq 100<\/a>\u00a0futures inched down 0.07%.<\/p>\n Overnight stateside, the three major averages closed mixed. The\u00a0S&P 500<\/a>\u00a0climbed for a fourth session, adding to this week’s rally after the U.S. and China agreed to temporarily slash tariff rates. The broad market index rose 0.41% to end at 5,916.93, while the\u00a0Dow Jones Industrial Average<\/a>\u00a0added 271.69 points, or 0.65%, and closed at 42,322.75.<\/p>\n