Shares in the Asia-Pacific fell on Friday ahead of the monthly U.S. jobs report, which is likely to guide the Federal Reserve’s monetary decision in November.
The Nikkei 225 saw its win streak cooled off, losing 195.19 points, or 0.7%, to 27,116.11.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng lost 272.10 points, or 1.5%, to 17,740.05.
Payrolls stateside are expected to increase 275,000 in September, and unemployment is predicted to be steady at 3.7%, according to economists surveyed by Dow Jones.
South Korean chipmaker Samsung Electronics announced a 31.7% drop in operating profit in the third quarter of 2022 compared with the same period a year ago, according to a preliminary earnings release.
Demand for semiconductors has slowed, the release showed.
Operating profit fell to 10.8 trillion Korean won ($7.65 billion U.S.), compared with 15.8 trillion won in the third quarter of 2021. That’s the first decline in quarterly profits since the fourth quarter of 2019, data from Refinitiv Eikon showed.
Sales rose to 77 trillion Korean won in the July-to-September quarter, from 73.98 trillion won in the same period last year.
Shares of Samsung Electronics fell as much as 1.95% in Asia’s morning.
In other markets
Markets in mainland China were still closed for holiday.
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index dipped 5.75 points, or 0.2%, to 3,145.81.
In Taiwan, the Taiex dumped 189.77 points, or 1.4%, to 13,702.28
In Australia, the ASX 200 fell 54.75 points, or 0.8%, to 6,762.77.
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 dropped 21.45 points, or 0.2%, to 11,103.79.
