Asian investors were expecting a mixed day of trading after Wall Street peaked on Thursday, pushed upward by continued optimism about economic stimulus to counteract the COVID-19 pandemic promised by newly inaugurated U.S. President Joe Biden.
"The markets had such a strong run yesterday after the presidential inauguration in the U.S. and the run-up to that, that the lead coming in from the U.S. is a bit messy," said Shane Oliver, chief economist at investment manager AMP Capital in Sydney."A lot of the good news is out there. I suspect a fairly flat day."Australia's ASX 200 fell 0.08per cent in early trade Friday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.04per cent. It had been poised for a record until falling into negative territory in the final minutes of trading.