Investing.com - Asian shares fell on Friday with little traction ahead of U.S. jobs data widely expected to set the stage for a Fed rate hike this month, the first in a year.
The Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.41%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped 0.95%. The Nikkei 225 eased 0.61%, while the S&P/ASX dipped 0.84%.
Nonfarm payrolls are seen up by 175,000 in November, deemed enough by most analysts to assure the Fed that the labor market continues to tighten, adding pressure on wages.
U.S. stocks were mixed after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Financials, Oil & Gas and Industrials sectors led shares higher while losses in the Technology, Utilities and Healthcare sectors led shares lower.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.25% to hit a new all time high, while the S&P 500 index declined 0.47%, and the NASDAQ Composite index declined 1.56%.
Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) fell more than 3 percent in After hours trade after its CEO Howard Schultz said he would step down.