Asian stocks traded mixed on Friday as renewed weakness in semiconductor shares weighed on South Korean and Japanese markets, while investors awaited the closely watched U.S. July nonfarm payrolls report for fresh clues on Federal Reserve policy. Wall Street ended mixed overnight after U.S. economic data pointed to continued labour-market resilience. In early Asian trading, Nasdaq 100 futures gained around 0.1%, while S&P 500 futures were nearly flat. Semiconductor stocks remained under pressure as investors reassessed elevated artificial intelligence valuations. Japanese stocks also weakened, with the Nikkei 225 falling about 1%, although it remained on track for a weekly gain.