Ethiopia launched a securities exchange on Friday, in what officials touted as a milestone in Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's drive to open up the country's tightly controlled economy to private investment.

Ethiopia opened its stock exchange — part of a plan to lure investors to an economy recovering from a civil war — without any brokers and no initial public offering debuts.

Asian stocks are mostly lower after U.S. stock indexes finished mixed a day after strong reports on the economy stirred up worries that inflation and interest rates may remain higher than expected

Shares fell Friday in Asia after U.S. markets were closed to observe a National Day of Mourning for former President Jimmy Carter. U.S. futures were lower and oil prices advanced. Regional markets saw a broad decline that analysts said reflects weakening confidence about the chances of further interest rate cuts by the Federal