Chinese CPI, Hang Seng Index, Kospi, Nikkei 225

Asia-Pacific markets are expected to trade higher on Friday as investors keep an eye on Chinese inflation data to be released later in the day.

China’s consumer price inflation for December is expected to come in at 0.8% year-on-year, according to economists polled by Reuters, up from 0.7% in November.

The reference of Japan Nikkei 225 The index was set for a higher open, with its Chicago futures contract trading at 51,700 and its Osaka counterpart at 51,190, compared to the index’s last close at 51,117.26.

Australia’s ASX/S&P 200 was slightly below the flat line.

that of Hong Kong Hang Seng Index was poised to open higher, with its futures contract trading at 26,312, compared to the index’s previous close of 26,149.31.

U.S. stock futures were little changed in early Asian hours, ahead of the release of a key jobs report in December and a possible U.S. Supreme Court ruling on tariffs. The Supreme Court could rule on the legality of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, which could impact the country’s trade policy and fiscal situation.

Overnight in the United States, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood up while the Nasdaq Composite has been under pressure as investors move away from technology stocks.

The 30-stock Dow rose 270.03 points, or 0.55%, and finished at 49,266.11. The tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 0.44% to settle at 23,480.02. THE S&P500 advanced 0.01% and closed at 6,921.46. Among the 11 S&P 500 sectors, information technology lagged, falling more than 1%.

— CNBC’s Pia Singh and Sean Conlon contributed to this report.