Asia-Pacific markets mixed as investors assess Australia inflation data

Asia-Pacific markets mixed as investors assess Australia inflation data


The Australian flag is in front of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark, on January 14, 2024. 

Kristof Z. Markovics | Nurphoto | Getty Images

Asia-Pacific markets were mixed Wednesday after key Wall Street benchmarks rose, with the Nasdaq Composite closing at a new record high as tech stocks gained.

Traders in Asia assessed consumer price data out of Australia, with headline inflation for the September quarter rising at 2.8% year on year, lowest since first quarter 2021. Economists polled by Reuters had expected inflation at 2.9%.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was trading 0.35% lower.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 opened 0.8% higher, while the Topix advanced 0.6%.

The Bank of Japan will start its 2-day policy meeting on Wednesday, with economists polled by Reuters expecting the bank to keep interest rates steady at 0.25%.

South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.5%, while the small-cap Kosdaq was down 0.4%.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index were at 20,746, compared with the index’s last close of 20,701.14.

In the U.S., the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 0.78% to close at a record high of 18,712.75.

The S&P 500 added 0.16% to close at 5,832.92, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 154.52 points, or 0.36%, to end at 42,233.05.

— CNBC’s Hakyung Kim and Alex Harring contributed to this report.

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