Asia-Pacific markets traded mostly higher on Wednesday as investors positioned themselves ahead of economic data from China and the Federal Reserve’s upcoming interest rate decision.
By 11:40 am AEDT (12:40 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 remained largely flat, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.6%, and South Korea’s Kospi 200 edged up 0.1%.
Data from the region showed South Korea's unemployment rate ticking up to 2.7% in November on a seasonally adjusted basis, up from 2.6% in October.
Japan’s producer price index (PPI) increased 2.7% year-on-year in November, matching expectations and remaining unchanged from October, while the monthly PPI rose 0.3% compared to the previous month’s 0.4% gain, the Bank of Japan reported.
Meanwhile, China's consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.7% year-on-year in November, matching expectations and accelerating from October’s 0.2% increase, although prices slipped 0.1% on the month after a 0.2% gain previously.
Producer prices fell 2.2% from a year earlier, extending October’s 2.1% decline and undershooting forecasts for a smaller 2.0% drop.
In the U.S., major benchmarks were mixed on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 0.4%, the S&P 500 down 0.1%, and the Nasdaq Composite rising slightly by 0.1%.
Among commodities, Brent crude declined 0.9% to settle at US$61.94 per barrel, while spot gold ticked up 0.4% to US$4,207.29 per ounce.
Chinese equities saw some pressure, with the Shanghai Composite falling 0.4% to 3,909.5 and the CSI 300 dipping 0.5% to 4,598.2.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index retreated 1.3% to 25,434.2, while India’s BSE Sensex eased 0.5% to 84,666.3.
European markets closed mixed on Tuesday. London’s FTSE 100 was largely unchanged at 9,642.0, Germany’s DAX rose 0.5% to 24,162.7, and France’s CAC 40 lost 0.7% to 8,052.5.
