Asian were mixed on Thursday, with gains in mining stocks helping Australia touch a six-year high in early trade.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 index dropped 9.04 points to 15,370.26
The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong fell 2.41 points to 23,520.87
The S&P ASX 200 rose, putting it marginally above its April peak of 5,554.5, as the market reacted well to a strong overnight session in the U.S. that pushed the Dow Jones Industrial Average to close at a record high.
The expiration of July index options inflated trading volume early in Australia’s trading day, and the market pared most of its gains as the session progressed to end less than 0.1% higher.
Miners in Australia added to gains from the previous session, the result of healthy production reports and better-than-expected Chinese growth data for the second quarter. Fortescue Metals Group added 1.8% and Rio Tinto was up 1.3%.
Also in Sydney, shares in Woodside Petroleum rose 0.6% after the company said its sales revenue jumped 25% in the second quarter and improved its production guidance.
The yen was a touch stronger in Asian trade, last changing hands at ¥101.51 to the U.S. dollar from ¥101.68 late Wednesday in New York.
In Taiwan, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. fell 4.6% as concerns about lost market share to rival Samsung Electronics spurred profit-taking.
The move comes after the world’s largest contract chip maker reported strong second-quarter results and an optimistic third-quarter forecast, and shares still remain up 18% year-to-date
In other markets;
The Shanghai CSI 300 index subtracted 13.80 points, or 0.6%, to 2,157.07
In Korea, the Kospi index gained 7.42 points, or 0.4%, to 2,020.90
Singapore’s Straits Times Index took on 2.46 points, or 0.1%, to 3,306.89
In Taiwan, the Taiex index sank 76.49 points, or 0.8%, to 9,408.24
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 dipped 1.86 points to 5,112.39
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 inched up 3.57 points, or 0.1%, to 5,522.43