Asian shares mixed as investors mull US data

Asian shares are mixed after a hodge-podge of economic data led Wall Street to close mostly lower

Asian shares were mixed on Friday after a hodge-podge of economic data led Wall Street to close mostly lower.

Benchmarks rose in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul but fell in Shanghai and Sydney.

Across the region, concerns over prolonged outbreak of coronavirus have weighed on sentiment.

“Overall, the mood remains a little downbeat in the markets, with investors torn between the ‘buy the dip' approach that has fared so well in the past and the growing list of economic and market risks that are increasingly evident," Craig Erlam of Oanda said in a commentary.