Markets in Japan and South Korea rose in early trade but stocks in Australia traded mostly lower.
Asia Pacific markets were cautious Friday morning as investors waited for a highly-anticipated meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the G-20 summit in Argentina, which many are hoping would help ease escalating trade tensions between the two countries.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 was up 0.25 percent while the Topix index rose 0.23 percent. South Korea’s Kospi traded fractionally higher at 2,116.04.
In Australia, the benchmark ASX 200 slipped 0.7 percent in morning trade, with most sectors declining. The heavily-weighted financial subindex was down 0.79 percent while the materials sector fell 0.15 percent.
The session in Asia follows a lower finish on Wall Street, where the Dow Jones industrial average snapped a three-day winning streak.
