Finance

Mixed course in Asian stock markets

Asia-Pacific markets were mixed after the Nasdaq pushed its benefits for a second day on Wall Street.

Shares of tech helped stave off index losses on Monday, as investors raised expectations that inflation could ease.

Nikkei 225 rose 0.87 percent and Topix 0.48 percent, as consumer prices in Japan’s capital rose 4 percent year-on-year in December, beating expectations for a 3.8 percent increase. The Japanese yen slowly strengthened at the latest 131.75 against the US dollar, which hit a seven-month low earlier in the week.

Kospi rose 0.14 percent and Kosdaq 0.2 percent.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 0.47 percent. In mainland China, the Shanghai Compound was also down 0.32 percent and the Shenzhen Compound was progressively lower.

The S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.19 percent in the first trading hour.