Asian equities were primed for selling Friday following declines on Wall Street that reflected unease on the health of the US economy and sent Treasuries higher.
Equity futures for Japan, Australia and Hong Kong all fell, with contracts for Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 benchmark down by more than 3% early Friday. The yen clung to its rally from earlier in the week, keeping pressure on Japanese stocks, which can be vulnerable to swings in the currency. Both the S&P 500 index and Nasdaq 100 index fell Thursday, erasing gains from the prior session. Contracts for US stocks slipped in Asian trading.
