Most Asian stocks remained within a narrow range on Friday amid growing caution over US interest rate cuts, while investors digested mixed economic readings from Japan and China.
Regional markets took weak signals from Wall Street, which fell on Thursday after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell warned that strength in the US economy gave the central bank more time to consider interest rate cuts.
His comments, coupled with strong inflation data released this week, saw traders sharply reduce bets on a rate cut in December. US stock index futures also fell in Asian trading, while dollar and Treasury yields rose.
