Shares in Asia trade mixed; greater China markets closed for holiday

The Nikkei 225 in Japan rose 0.28% in morning trade, with shares of robot maker Fanuc gaining 1.23%. The Topix index also rose fractionally.

In Australia, the ASX 200 gained 0.47% as most of the sectors traded higher. Over in South Korea, however, the Kospi declined slightly.

Markets in China and Hong Kong are closed on Friday for a holiday.

Shares rose on Wall Street overnight on hopes of a delay in the implementation of U.S. tariffs on Mexico. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 181.09 points to close at 25,720.66, bringing its gain for the week to more than 900 points and putting it on pace for its best week of the year. The S&P 500 gained 0.61% to end its trading day at 2,843.49 while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.53% to close at 7,615.55.

Martha Barcena Coqui, Mexico’s ambassador to the U.S., told CNBC on Thursday that negotiators had “a very good discussion, a very good debate. ” The U.S. had asked Mexico to keep Central American asylum seekers and require migrants without proper documentation to stay in Mexico “for the duration of their immigration proceedings,” CNBC previously reported.

Meanwhile, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said Thursday it would delay its first post-crisis interest rate hike till at least the middle of next year.

“The ECB’s recent inaction in the face of rising downside risks to an already shaky economic outlook — not least from rising international trade tensions — has probably more to do with a lack of monetary policy tools, rather than with complacency,” Silvia Dall’Angelo, senior economist at Hermes Investment Management, wrote in a note.

“For all the reassurances that its toolbox is plentiful, the ECB has little ammunition left to fight low inflation,” Dall’Angelo said.

Draghi’s comments come on the back of comments earlier this week from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who said Tuesday the central bank will “act as appropriate to sustain the expansion, ” opening the door to rate cuts.

The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 97.036 after slipping below 97.0 yesterday.

The Japanese yen traded at 108.43 against the dollar after touching levels around 108.5 yesterday, while the Australian dollar changed hands at $0.6975 after touching levels above $0.698 in the previous session.

Oil prices gained in the morning of Asian trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures rising 0.94% to $62.25 per barrel and U.S. crude futures advancing 0.99% to $53.11 per barrel.