Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Friday as investors digested fresh inflation data from Japan ahead of the Bank of Japan’s policy decision.
By 11:40 am AEST (1:40 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.5%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.8%, setting another all-time high. South Korea’s Kospi 200 slipped 0.5%.
Economic data showed Japan’s core consumer prices rose 2.7% in the year to August, remaining above the BOJ’s 2% target but slowing to the weakest pace in nine months, suggesting some relief for households grappling with rising living costs.
On Wall Street, major benchmarks pushed to fresh records on Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3%, the S&P 500 added 0.5%, and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.9%.
In commodities, Brent crude slid 0.8% to settle at US$67.44 per barrel, while spot gold fell 0.4%, or US$15.80, to US$3,644.18 per ounce.
Chinese equities extended losses on Thursday, with the Shanghai Composite down 1.2% at 3,831.7 and the CSI 300 also slipping 1.2% to 4,498.1. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index dropped 1.4% to 26,544.9.
Elsewhere in Asia, India’s BSE Sensex climbed 0.4% to 83,014.0, marking its highest close in eight weeks.
In Europe, markets finished higher on Thursday. The FTSE 100 edged up 0.2% to 9,228.1, Germany’s DAX jumped 1.4% to 23,674.5, and France’s CAC 40 rose 0.9% to 7,854.6.
