Futures pointed to a lower open in Japan on Friday, as many major markets in Asia remain closed for a public holiday.
Nikkei futures were lower than the benchmark index’s last close on Thursday at 18,426.82 — Chicago futures traded at 18,400 and Osaka futures were at 18,360.
The session in Asia follows a lower finish on Wall Street, after U.S. military forces dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan on Thursday.
This is the first time the GBU-43 bomb, known as the “mother of all bombs,” has ever been used in combat, according to Adam Stump, the Pentagon spokesman. The bomb contains 11 tons of explosives and is formally known as the Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb.
The dollar index, which measures the U.S. dollar against a basket of currencies, traded at 100.58, climbing from an earlier low of 100.01.
“The U.S. dollar took its cue from yields, weaving in and out of negative territory,” Kathy Lien, managing director of foreign exchange strategy at BK Asset Management, said in a note. But, Lien said, geopolitical risks remain front and center, following the bombing in Afghanistan.
