A currency trader watches monitors near screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the exchange rate of South Korean won against the U.S. dollar, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Nov. 21, 2022. Asian stock markets sank Monday after Wall Street ended with a loss for the week amid anxiety about Federal Reserve plans for more interest rate hikes to cool inflation. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A currency trader passes by screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), center, and the exchange rate of South Korean won against the U.S. dollar, right, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Nov. 21, 2022. Asian stock markets sank Monday after Wall Street ended with a loss for the week amid anxiety about Federal Reserve plans for more interest rate hikes to cool inflation. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A currency trader checks monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Nov. 21, 2022. Asian stock markets sank Monday after Wall Street ended with a loss for the week amid anxiety about Federal Reserve plans for more interest rate hikes to cool inflation. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)People walk past an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, in Tokyo. Asian stock markets were mixed Tuesday after Wall Street sank and Chinese anti-virus controls fueled concern about an economic slowdown. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama) Workers wipe the window glass as an electronic stock board shows Japan's stock prices, at a securities firm Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, in Tokyo. Asian stock markets were mixed Tuesday after Wall Street sank and Chinese anti-virus controls fueled concern about an economic slowdown. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama) A person walks past an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, in Tokyo. Asian stock markets were mixed Tuesday after Wall Street sank and Chinese anti-virus controls fueled concern about an economic slowdown. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama) 
A pedestrian walks past the New York Stock Exchange in New York City, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/J. David Ake, File)A currency trader passes by screens showing the foreign exchange rates at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022. Asian shares advanced on Wednesday after solid earnings pushed retailers higher on Wall Street ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) A currency trader passes by screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), center, and the exchange rate of South Korean won against the U.S. dollar, right, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022. Asian shares advanced on Wednesday after solid earnings pushed retailers higher on Wall Street ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) A currency trader watches monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022. Asian shares advanced on Wednesday after solid earnings pushed retailers higher on Wall Street ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) The New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, June 29, 2022 in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson) A man walks by monitors showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. Asian shares gained Thursday, although optimism about the Federal Reserve holding back on aggressive interest rate raises was countered by some uncertainty about coronavirus restrictions in China. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae) Japan's traditional advertising agents promote a local business as they walk by monitors showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. Asian shares gained Thursday, although optimism about the Federal Reserve holding back on aggressive interest rate raises was countered by some uncertainty about coronavirus restrictions in China.
(AP Photo/Hiro Komae) A man looks at his mobile phone in front of monitors showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index, left, and the exchange rate of the Japanese yen against the U.S. dollar at a securities firm in Tokyo, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. Asian shares gained Thursday, although optimism about the Federal Reserve holding back on aggressive interest rate raises was countered by some uncertainty about coronavirus restrictions in China. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae) Japan's traditional advertising agent hands out a flyer to promote a local business as she and others walk by monitors showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. Asian shares gained Thursday, although optimism about the Federal Reserve holding back on aggressive interest rate raises was countered by some uncertainty about coronavirus restrictions in China. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae) 
A man carries delivery boxes past monitors showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. Asian shares gained Thursday, although optimism about the Federal Reserve holding back on aggressive interest rate raises was countered by some uncertainty about coronavirus restrictions in China. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
A man looks at monitors showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. Asian shares gained Thursday, although optimism about the Federal Reserve holding back on aggressive interest rate raises was countered by some uncertainty about coronavirus restrictions in China. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)A currency trader watches monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. Asian shares were mixed Friday as worries deepened about the regional economy and Japan reported higher-than-expected inflation. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) A currency trader watches monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. Asian shares were mixed Friday as worries deepened about the regional economy and Japan reported higher-than-expected inflation. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) A currency trader watches monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. Asian shares were mixed Friday as worries deepened about the regional economy and Japan reported higher-than-expected inflation. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) A currency trader passes by screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. Asian shares were mixed Friday as worries deepened about the regional economy and Japan reported higher-than-expected inflation. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) TOKYO (AP) — Global shares were mixed Friday as worries deepened about the regional economy and Japan reported higher-than-expected inflation.
France's CAC 40 was little changed, inching down less than 0.1% to 6,704.00. Germany's DAX slipped 0.1% to 14,524.48. Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.1% to 7,473.46. The future for the S&P 500 gained 0.2% while that for the Dow industrials was up 0.1%.
Investors have their eyes on China's lockdowns and restrictions to curb the spread of coronavirus infections, as the direction China takes will have great impact on the rest of Asia.
China has been expanding pandemic lockdowns, including in a city where factory workers making Apple's iPhone clashed with police this week, as its number of COVID-19 cases hits a daily record.
Across China, the number of new cases reported Thursday was 31,444, the highest since the virus was first detected in late 2019.
“Reopening policies have pivoted in China, which will be a gradual process. COVID control measures will vary across cities, but positive top-down approaches will be ongoing,” said Stephen Innes, Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 0.4% to finish at 28,283.03. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.2% to 7,259.50. South Korea's Kospi dropped 0.1% to 2,437.86. Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.5% to 17,573.58. The Shanghai Composite gained 0.4% to 3,101.69.
Data on inflation in Tokyo for November beat analysts' expectations, with the core consumer price index showing a 3.6% rise, the highest in more than four decades.
The Federal Reserve and the world's other central banks have been raising interest rates to try to rein in decades-high inflation. But the Bank of Japan has resisted tightening monetary policy, a move that would counter inflationary pressures by discouraging borrowing by businesses and consumers.
“With the Bank of Japan being one of the few outliers which has not embarked on a rate-hiking process, the point of pivot will be a key question into next year," Jun Rong Yeap of IG said in a commentary.
U.S. markets were closed Thursday for Thanksgiving, but will be back for a shortened session on Friday.
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude rose $1.08 cents to $79.02 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the international standard, added 95 cents to $86.19 a barrel in London.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar rose to 138.83 Japanese yen from 138.58 yen. The euro cost $1.0419, inching up from $1.0411.
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Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
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