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 year on year, the lowest since first quarter 2021. Economists polled by Reuters had expected it to be at 2.9%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was trading 0.55% lower.
China is considering approving next week over 10 trillion yuan ($1.4 trillion) in extra debt to stimulate its economy over the next few years, Reuters reported. The fiscal package is expected to be increased if Donald Trump wins the upcoming U.S. presidential election, the report added.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 0.5%, while China’s CSI 300 was trading flat.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 was1.1% higher, while the Topix advanced 1%.
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 0.25%, while the small-cap Kosdaq was up 0.1%.
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.
