Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Thursday as continued weakness in United States technology stocks dampened investor sentiment across the region.
By 12 pm AEST (2 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.1%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 0.3%, and South Korea’s Kospi 200 ticked up 0.1%.
The moves came after Wall Street’s major benchmarks extended declines for a second straight session on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing 0.4%, the S&P 500 down 0.3%, and the Nasdaq Composite also off 0.3%.
In commodities, Brent crude futures advanced 1.2% to settle at US$68.46 per barrel. Spot gold eased 0.7% to US$3,736.17 per ounce, retreating from record highs.
Chinese equities bucked the regional trend, with the Shanghai Composite climbing 0.8% to 3,853.1 and the CSI 300 up 1% to 4,566.1.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index also gained 1.3% to 26,518.7. In contrast, India’s BSE Sensex slipped 0.5% to close at 81,715.6.
Elsewhere, European markets closed mixed on Wednesday. London’s FTSE 100 rose 0.3% to 9,250.4 and Germany’s DAX added 0.2% to 23,666.8, while France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.6% to 7,827.5.
