Asia-Pacific markets trade lower

SINGAPORE — Asia-Pacific markets struggled for gains Friday as investors turned cautious, despite a positive finish stateside in the previous session.

Australia’s ASX 200 fell 0.7% as all sectors turned red. Energy and materials were down 1.4% and 0.92%, respectively, while the heavily-weighted financials subindex lost 0.46%. The Japanese market returned to trade after being closed Thursday for a holiday. The benchmark Nikkei 225 was down 0.43% while the Topix index traded near flat. In South Korea, the Kospi index stumbled 0.52%. Chinese mainland shares also fell: The Shanghai composite declined 0.53% after market open while the Shenzhen component was down 0.3%. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index was down 1.31%.