Nikkei Flat in Choppy Trade Ahead of U.S. Data

Japan's Nikkei ended flat in choppy trade on Friday as investors awaited the release of the U.S. monthly jobs report, which will set the tone for the Federal Reserve's policy outlook, while bank stocks outperformed on higher yields.

The Nikkei was flat at 18,918.20 points after traversing positive and negative territory. The benchmark index fell 2.8 percent this week.

The broader Topix gained 0.3 percent at 1,514.99 and the JPX-Nikkei Index 400 rose 0.2 percent to 13,576.07.

(Reporting by Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by Amrutha Gayathri)