Asian Shares Mostly Lower On Mixed US Data

Group 1: Market Performance - Asian stocks were mostly lower, with Seoul stocks outperforming due to Samsung Electronics surpassing 20 trillion won (approximately $13.8 billion) in quarterly operating profit for the first time [1] - South Korea's Kospi average jumped 1.1 percent, while shares of Samsung Electronics gained 1.5 percent on strong global demand for AI servers [4] - Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 edged up by 0.2 percent, led by gains in banks, healthcare, and tech stocks [5] Group 2: Economic Indicators - Investors are digesting uneven economic data from the United States, looking ahead to crucial jobs data and a Supreme Court ruling on President Trump's global tariffs [2] - The JOLTS report indicated a cooling labor market, while ADP reported a modest rebound in private hiring, and the ISM Services PMI surprised to the upside [6] Group 3: Commodity Prices - Oil prices remained little changed after two days of declines, supported by a larger-than-expected draw in U.S. crude inventories [3] - Gold prices were subdued after falling more than 1 percent due to profit-taking [3]