Investing.com - Asian-Pacific share markets are expected to open mixed on Thursday, in contrast to North American gains, as the Thanksgiving holiday in the US approaches.
The S&P/ASX 200 fell by 0.6% while the KOSPI 200 added, ticked 0.1% higher as of 11:30 am AEDT (12:30 am GMT) on Thursday.
In North America, US stocks ended the day on a positive note. Travel stocks, including United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL), American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL), and Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL), saw gains as holiday travel picked up. However, companies such as NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) that reported earnings on Wednesday experienced losses. In the commodities market, Brent crude oil fell by 0.8% to US$81.78 a barrel, while gold dropped by 0.4% to US$1,989.69.
Meanwhile, in Asia, Chinese shares closed lower, with automotive and hardware stocks experiencing a drop. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index declined by 0.8% to 3043.61, while the tech-heavy Chinext Price Index fell by 1.7%. Hong Kong shares closed flat, with the Hang Seng Index remaining steady at 17734.60 and the Hang Seng Tech Index losing 0.2%. In Japan, the Nikkei Stock Average rose by 0.3% to close at 33451.83, while Indian shares closed slightly higher, with the benchmark Sensex up by 0.1% at 66023.24.
In Europe, stocks mostly rose, with the Stoxx Europe 600 gaining 0.4% and the DAX and CAC 40 advancing about 0.5%. However, the FTSE 100 in the UK traded flat ahead of the government's autumn budget statement. Oil shares traded mixed as Brent crude fell to US$81.78 a barrel. The UK's blue-chip index, the FTSE 100, ended the session 0.17% lower on Wednesday at 7,469.51 points.