Major stock markets in Asia traded lower as investors continued to monitor economic data, while some of the markets were closed on the Good Friday holiday.
As of 8:30 local time in Thailand, Nikkei slipped 0.12%, SSEC fell 0.46% and Kospi dropped 0.67%.
Hang Seng Index and ASX 200 were closed on the Good Friday holiday, while Thailand’s SET Index closed for the Songkran Festival.
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose by 18,000 to 185,000 for the week ended April 9, 2022, which was above the market expectations of 171,000. Nevertheless, jobless claims remain close to the previous week’s revised number of 167,000, which was the lowest since 1968.
Earlier, the U.S. reported that its headline inflation rose to 8.5% in March, beating expectations of a 8.4% rise by economists and a record of 7.9% in February. It was still the highest rate in 40 years.
A surge in gasoline prices was a major contributor to this spike in March, accounting for 0.7% of 1.2% monthly gain.
