Nikkei
Tokyo shares closed lower on Friday after falls on Wall Street over fears of more US interest rate hikes, with investors awaiting key US jobs data due later in the day.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index dropped 1.17 percent, or 384.60 points, to end at 32,388.42, while the broader Topix index fell 0.97 percent, or 22.18 points, to 2,254.90.
Hang Seng
Hong Kong stocks extended the week's losses Friday on worries over fresh US rate hikes, though traders were cheered by a report that China was nearing the end of a probe into Alibaba's fintech affiliate Ant Group.
The Hang Seng Index sank 0.90 percent, or 167.35 points, to 18,365.70.
The Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.28 percent, or 8.97 points, to 3,196.61, while the Shenzhen Composite Index on China's second exchange slipped 0.67 percent, or 13.63 points, to 2,030.40.
Gold
Gold prices rose off the lowest in nearly four months on Friday as the dollar fell after the United States added fewer jobs than expected in June, easing concerns the Federal Reserve will need to be even more hawkish to slow the economy to lower inflation.
Gold for August delivery closed up US$17.10 to settle at US$1,932.50 per ounce.
The United States added 209,000 new jobs in June, under consensus expectations for a 240,000-job rise, according to Marketwatch. The lower than expected rise follows on ADP private-sector hiring data released on Thursday that came in more at more than double the consensus forecast, boosting treasury yields and pushing the price of gold to the lowest since mid-March.
The dollar was sharply lower following the weak jobs data, which may ease pressure on the Fed to continue slowing the economy with rate hikes. The ICE dollar index was last seen down 0.92 point to 102.25.
Treasury yields were mixed. The US two-year note was last seen paying 4.952% down 4.9 basis points, while the yield on the 10-year note was up 0.8 basis points to 4.046%.
Oil
U.S. oil futures finished higher on Friday, buoyed by a third straight weekly decline in U.S. crude inventories.
Prices posted a second successive weekly gain, but "when you consider the tightness of the market, and the announcement of further output cuts this week, it's somewhat surprising" they aren't even higher, said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK.
West Texas Intermediate crude for August delivery rose $2.06, or 2.9%, to settle at $73.86 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Based on the front-month contract, prices gained 4.6% for the week, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
