Asian stocks traded unevenly Friday as investors awaited U.S. nonfarm payrolls data that could influence expectations for the Federal Reserve's interest-rate path. Hong Kong led regional losses, with the Hang Seng Index falling 3% to an 11-week low near 23,900 points, while Japan's Nikkei 225 declined 0.9% and TOPIX slipped 1.1%. South Korea's KOSPI rose 0.3%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.5% and Singapore's Straits Times Index fell 0.3%. Mainland Chinese markets remained closed for National Day Golden Week and are due to reopen on Oct. 8, while Indian markets were shut for Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti. Tokyo's core consumer price index rose 2.7% year-on-year in September, above August's 1.8% and the 2.4% market forecast, adding to speculation that the Bank of Japan could raise rates again. The BOJ's policy rate is 1.25%, and investors are considering possible increases at its October or December meetings. Economists expect the U.S. economy to have added 89,000 jobs in September, with unemployment steady at 4.1%. The probability of a Federal Reserve rate hike in October fell to about 25% from 69% a week earlier, while a December increase remained fully priced. The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield reached 5.34% Thursday, its highest since 2002, before easing to around 5.25% in Asian trading. Brent crude remained above $102 a barrel amid reported plans for a larger U.S. military presence in the Middle East and China's halt to oil-product exports.