Asia-Pacific markets were set to extend gains from Monday, tracking moves on Wall Street with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising for a seventh straight day on rate cut hopes. Investors in Asia will assess Japan's trade balance and household spending figures for March,

Asian shares were mixed on Thursday after Wall Street’s lull stretched into a second day, with Chinese benchmarks rising after China reported better-than-expected trade figures for April. U.S. futures were slightly lower and oil prices rose.

Asian shares were mixed on Wednesday after U.S. stocks held relatively steady on Wall Street. U.S. futures and oil prices slipped, while the yen weakened further against the U.S. dollar. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 lost 1.

Most U.S. stocks are slipping Wednesday, threatening to end a four-day winning streak for the S&P 500. The index at the heart of many 401(k) accounts was 0.4% lower in early trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down by 5 points,