Asia stocks trade lower on Friday, tracking weakness on Wall Street after funding bills aimed at ending the US government shutdown failed to pass the Senate for the seventh time on Thursday. Traders assessed remarks from Fed officials on interest rates and the start of the U.S. earnings season. The U.S. on Thursday imposed sanctions on about 100 individuals, entities, and vessels accused of aiding Iran’s oil and petrochemical trade, the Trump administration said. Silver edged down to around $49 per ounce on Friday but remained on track for its eighth consecutive weekly advance. Gold rose to around $3,980 per ounce on Friday, heading for its eighth consecutive weekly gain, after notching a record high earlier in the week. Japan ( NKY:IND ) fell 0.84% to below 48,400, while the broader Topix dropped 1.1% to 3,220 on Friday. The Japanese yen traded at an eight-month low around 153 per dollar on Friday and was on track to decline nearly 4% for the week, marking its steepest decline since September last year. Japan’s producer prices rose 2.7% year-on-year in September 2025, keeping the same pace as in the previous month but exceeding market forecasts of 2.5%. Japan’s bank lending rose 3.8% in September 2025, accelerating from a downwardly revised 3.5% gain in August and exceeding market expectations for a 3.7% growth. Japan’s ruling party chief Sanae Takaichi said Thursday that if elected prime minister, she would immediately push for measures to ease the economic impact of rising living costs. China ( SHCOMP ) fell 0.58% to around 3,920, while the Shenzhen Component dropped 0.8% to 13,613 on Friday, giving back part of the prior session’s gains amid soft global cues. The offshore yuan Investors now turn their attention to the Communist Party’s leadership meeting on Oct. 20–23 and a possible Xi-Trump meeting at the APEC summit later this month for new policy signals. Caution also grew ahead of key Chinese data next week, including September trade figures, CPI and PPI readings, and credit statistics. President Donald Trump predicted that China would soon resume purchases of U.S. soybeans following his upcoming meeting with President Xi Jinping, despite ongoing trade tensions. Hong Kong ( HSI ) fell 1.38% to 26,501 in early trade on Friday, marking a fifth straight fall and the lowest in near two weeks. India ( SENSEX ) rose 0.45% to 82,507 in morning trade on Friday, gaining for the second straight session. Australia ( AS51 ) fell 0.13% to around 8,955 in Friday morning trade, reversing the previous session’s gains, as gold and energy stocks dragged the market lower amid easing commodity prices. The Australian dollar appreciated to around $0.657 on Friday, slightly rebounding from a nearly two-week low touched the previous day after RBA Governor Michele Bullock struck cautious remarks. Australia’s economy is performing well, with inflation within the central bank's 2–3% target range and a tight labor market, Governor Michele Bullock told a parliamentary committee Friday. In the U.S. on Thursday, all three major indexes ended lower as investors paused to digest optimism around AI, interest-rate cuts, and the ongoing government shutdown. U.S. stock futures inched up on Friday after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite retreated from record highs in the prior session: Dow +0.14% ; S&P 500 +0.13% ; Nasdaq +0.17% . Currencies: ( JPY:USD ), ( CNY:USD ), ( AUD:USD ), ( INR:USD ), ( HKD:USD ), ( NZD:USD ). More on Asia: Japan's producer prices rises more than expected in September to 2.7% U.S. sanctions 29 companies in China, Turkey, and UAE over Iran military support China tightens export rules for crucial rare earths and related technology Japan services sector expands for sixth month, but jobless rate hits 13-month high Australia’s services sector expands for 20th straight month despite sharp slowdown in September
