(RTNews) – Asian stock markets are trading mostly lower on Friday, following broadly negative signals from global markets overnight, as traders appear to be pausing to assess the near-term outlook of the markets and indulged in taking some profits from the market after… Recent events. Gains after recent rise. Asian markets ended mostly higher on Thursday.

The Australian stock market gave up some of the gains it had made in the previous two sessions, and fell significantly on Friday, following broadly negative signals from global markets overnight. The S&P/ASX 200 remains below 7,900, with losses in most sectors led by gold miners and technology stocks. Iron ore miners rose amid rising iron ore prices.

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index lost 45.20 points, or 0.57 percent, to 7,836.10, after hitting a low of 7,835.30 earlier. The broader All Ordinaries index fell 44.20 points, or 0.54 percent, to 8,105.90 points. Australian markets ended sharply higher on Thursday.

Among major mining companies, shares of BHP Group and Rio Tinto rose more than 1% each, while Fortescue Metals rose 0.5% and Mineral Resources rose about 1%. Oil inventories are mostly low. Shore Energy is losing nearly 1 percent, while Santos Woodside Energy and Origin Energy shares are down 0.1 to 0.4 percent each.

Among technology stocks, owners of Afterpay Block and WiseTech Global lost nearly 1 percent each, while Xero and Appen fell 1.5 percent each.

Among the big four banks, Commonwealth Bank, ANZ Banking, Westpac and National Australia Bank each lost nearly 1 per cent. Gold miners are mostly less. Evolution Mining, Gold Road Resources and Northern Star Resources lost nearly 1% each, while Newmont fell more than 1% and Resolute Mining fell almost 2%.

In the currency market, the Australian dollar is trading at $0.666 on Friday.

The Japanese stock market fell significantly on Friday, ending a five-session winning streak, following broadly negative signals from global markets overnight. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell below the 38,800 level, with weakness in index heavyweights and technology stocks partially offset by gains in financial stocks.

The 225-share Nikkei index closed the morning session at 38,782.08, up 138.18 points, or 0.36 percent, after reaching a low of 38,539.56 earlier. Japanese stocks closed sharply higher on Thursday.

Market heavyweight SoftBank Group lost nearly 1 percent, and Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing fell nearly 1 percent. Among automakers, Honda rose 0.1 percent, while Toyota gained more than 1 percent.

In the technology sector, Advantest fell 0.1 percent and Tokyo Electron more than 2 percent, while Screen Holdings rose 0.3 percent.

In the banking sector, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial rose more than 3 percent, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial rose more than 2 percent, and Mizuho Financial rose nearly 1 percent.

Among the major exporters, Mitsubishi Electric and Panasonic rose 0.5 percent each, while Canon and Sony fell 0.1 to 0.3 percent each.

Among other major gainers, Sumitomo Pharma and CyberAgent lost more than 4 percent each, while shares of Dentsu Group and Terumo fell more than 3 percent each.

Conversely, shares of Japan Steel Works rose more than 5 percent and shares of Renesas Electronics rose almost 3 percent.

In the currency market, the US dollar is trading in a higher range of 155 yen on Friday.

Elsewhere in Asia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan recorded increases of between 0.1 and 0.5 per cent each, while New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea recorded declines of between 0.2 and 0.4 per cent each. On Wall Street, stocks moved to the upside early in Thursday’s session but fluctuated throughout the trading day before eventually closing modestly lower. The major averages partially offset the strong upward movement seen over the previous two sessions.

While the Dow Jones index rose above 40,000 points for the first time in morning trading, the leading index ended the day down 38.62 points, or 0.1 percent, to 39,869.38. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 11.05 points, or 0.2 percent, to 5,297.10 points, and the Nasdaq index fell 44.07 points, or 0.3 percent, to 16,698.32 points.

All major European markets also moved to the downside during the day. While the UK’s FTSE 100 index fell by 0.1 percent, the French CAC 40 and the German DAX fell by 0.6 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively.

Crude oil prices rose on Thursday, continuing to benefit from recent data that showed a larger-than-expected decline in US crude inventories last week. Hopes for an interest rate cut in September also contributed to higher oil prices. June West Texas Intermediate crude futures closed $0.60 higher at $79.23 a barrel.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.