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Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 was down 0.86% at the open, while the Topix was up 0.34%. South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.97%, and the Kosdaq Index declined 1.12%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.42%.
Overnight in the U.S., stocks ended mixed with the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing at a record high after a softer-than-expected June jobs report fueled hopes for Federal Reserve rate cuts. Meanwhile, weakness in semiconductor stocks dragged the Nasdaq lower.
The 30-stock average added 594.83 points, or 1.14%, for a record close of 52,900.07. The index hit a new all-time intraday high of 52,903.85. The S&P 500 rose less than 1 point to end at 7,483.24, while the Nasdaq dropped 0.8% to 25,832.67.
Semiconductors fell for a second day in a row, weighing on the latter two benchmarks. The VanEck Semiconductor (SMH) ETF dropped 4.5%, led by a 13.6% decline in Teradyne and an 11.5% slide for KLA. Nvidia shares also pulled back 1.4%, while Micron shares lost 5.5%.
U.S. markets will be closed Friday for the Independence Day holiday.
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