Asian shares closed narrowly mixed on Tuesday as investors digested the Bank of Japan's decision to keep policy steady. The mixed showing also came on the back of Wall Street posting losses amid weakness in the technology sector.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 poked up 8.88 points to 22,553.72, on the back of the Bank of Japan's policy decision. Shippers and mining stocks rose, while banks and utilities were among the worst performing sectors.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng fell 150.12 points, or 0.5%, to 28,583.01.
Korean shares danced above and beyond the flat line, as shares of Samsung Electronics slipped 0.5% after the smartphone and chipmaker reported second-quarter operating profit came it at 14.9 trillion won (around $13.4 billion U.S.), topping the company's own projection of 14.8 trillion won. Revenue for the quarter came in at 58.5 trillion won, mostly matching an earlier forecast.
Australian indexes were also flat, with the energy sub-index leading gains.
Central banks were top of mind for investors, with the Bank of Japan keeping policy steady, as was widely expected, but making its policy framework more flexible for the long-term yield target. The BOJ maintained its target for the 10-year government bond yield at around zero percent.
The slight adjustment was seen as somewhat of a letdown after earlier reports that the central bank could modify policy to make its program more sustainable.
The yen saw volatile trade following the announcement, rising to trade as high as 111.44 to the U.S. dollar — around a one-week high — compared to levels as low as 110.76 seen earlier. The yen traded at 111.23 to the dollar
CHINA
Chinese shares ended the day in different directions following the release of official manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index that slightly missed expectations.
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 eked up 2.58 points, or 0.1%, to 3,517.66
In other markets
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index regained 12.7 points, or 0.4%, to 3,319.85
In Taiwan, the Taiex index advanced 23.97 points, or 0.2%, to 11,057.51
In Korea, the Kospi index poked up 1.75 points, or 0.1%, to 2,295.26
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 inched ahead 0.71 points to 8,922.09
In Australia, the ASX 200 progressed 1.81 points to 6,280.20
