Asian shares set to slip as coronavirus concerns weigh

BURSA ASIA - NEW YORK. Asian shares were set to open mostly lower on Friday as record-breaking new coronavirus cases and deaths in several U.S. states stoked concerns that new lockdowns could derail the economic recovery, and investors looked forward to earnings season.

Australian S&P/ASX 200 futures were down 0.41%, Japan's Nikkei 225 futures edged up 0.02%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index futures lost 0.87%.

E-mini futures for the S&P 500 added 0.12%.

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More than 60,000 new COVID-19 infections were reported across the United States on Wednesday, the greatest single-day tally of cases by any country since the virus emerged late last year in China. U.S. deaths rose by more than 900 for the second straight day.

That heightened concerns that renewed lockdowns could hurt the economic recovery.

The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits dropped to a near four-month low last week, data showed.

But investors remained cautious as the report also said a record 32.9 million people were collecting unemployment checks in the third week of June, supporting expectations the labor market would take years to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.