Asia-Pacific markets were mixed on Wednesday, following a subdued session from major US stock indices overnight as traders look ahead toward the anticipated start of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.
By 12:00 pm (2:00 am GMT) on Wednesday, the ASX 200 was flat, the KOSPI 200 lifted 0.1% and the Nikkei 225 added 0.6%.
In the US, stock indexes showed minimal movement. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) held steady at 41,606.18, the S&P 500 was unchanged at 5,634.58, and the Nasdaq rose 0.2% to 17,628.06.
Top performers in the S&P 500 included Enphase Energy Inc, which surged 6.31%, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co, up 5.63%, and Moderna Inc, gaining 4.08%.
The biggest decliners were Accenture PLC, down 4.82%, Edwards Lifesciences Corp, falling 3.07%, and The Cigna Group, which dropped 2.89%.
In commodity markets, Brent crude oil increased 1.3% to US$73.70 per barrel, and gold rose 0.1% to US$2,570.79 per ounce.
The Australian dollar was trading at 67.55 US cents.
In China, major markets remained closed due to a public holiday.
In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index closed higher, up 1.4% at 17,660.02.
Japanese shares ended lower, with the Nikkei Stock Average falling 1.0% to 36,203.22.
Indian shares closed higher, with the BSE SENSEX gaining 0.1% to 83,079.66.
In the UK, the FTSE 100 Index closed up 0.4% at 8,309.86.
European stocks also ended higher, with Germany’s DAX rising 0.5% to 18,726.08 and France’s CAC 40 increasing 0.5% to 7,487.42.