Asian stock markets slipped on Friday as tracking Wall Street losses, as a weak stream of US economic data and uncertainty over future interest rate moves weighed down investor confidence.Hong Kong’s HSI dipped 241 points to 26,244. Kospi reached 3,929, falling 96 points or 2.4%. Japan’s Nikkei also fell 1.7% or 905 points. Shenzhen, meanwhile, inched 24 points, trading at 13,477 at 11:15, AM IST.The latest pressure point for investors came from figures released by the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Its report showed that US layoff announcements surged to their highest level in 22 years last month. According to the firm, this year has marked the worst period for job cuts since 2020, when the pandemic severely disrupted the labour market.Because of the longest-running US government shutdown, several federal departments remain closed, leaving markets to rely on private data to gauge the state of the economy. Although private hiring data a day earlier suggested an increase in employment, the Challenger report reignited concerns about the labour market and prompted renewed speculation that the Federal Reserve might lower borrowing costs again in December.That expectation was tempered by messaging from Fed officials, who indicated that a further rate cut is not assured. Their comments echoed recent remarks by Fed chair Jerome Powell.Several policymakers highlighted that while stabilising employment is part of the Fed’s mandate, inflation remains a central worry. Cleveland Fed chief Beth Hammack said she continues to be “concerned about high inflation and believe policy should be leaning against it”. In prepared remarks, she added: “To me, comparing the size and persistence of our mandate misses and the risks, inflation is the more pressing concern,” describing policy as “barely restrictive”.Chicago Fed president Austan Goolsbee told CNBC that making policy decisions without full government data due to the shutdown leaves him “even more uneasy.” A policymaker from the St Louis Fed also cautioned that lowering rates now would remove the downward pressure still needed to contain inflation.Asian indices responded to the Wall Street downturn. Tokyo and Seoul both declined more than two percent after recently setting record highs. Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Taipei and Manila also traded in the red, while Singapore, Wellington and Jakarta managed to edge higher.The weakness followed a rally in recent weeks that pushed several global markets and especially technology stocks, to historic levels. Heavy investment in artificial intelligence and expectations of an easing in US monetary policy helped fuel that rise. Chipmaker Nvidia even crossed a milestone, becoming the world’s first $5 trillion company.