Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Wednesday as investors parsed China’s inflation data and awaited the U.S. Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision.
The Nikkei 225 slid 52.3 points, or 0.1%, to 50,603.80.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng regained 106.55 points, or 0.4%, to 25,540.78.
Traders are looking ahead to the Federal Reserve’s closely watched interest rate announcement on Wednesday stateside, the final one of the year.
Markets largely expect the Fed to trim its benchmark overnight lending rate by another 0.25 percentage point, matching the cuts made in September and October.
CHINA
The CSI 300 in Shanghai edged lower by 6.4 points, or 0.1%, to 4,591.83.
China’s consumer prices edged up 0.7% from a year earlier, its highest level since February last year. The increase followed a 0.2% rise in October and matched the 0.7% gain expected in a Reuters poll of economists.
Factory-gate prices fell 2.2% in November from a year earlier, missing the forecast of a 2% decline and extending the deflationary stretch into its fourth year. That was compared with a 2.1% fall in October.
In other markets
In Korea, the Kospi fell 8.55 points, or 0.2%, to 4,135.
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index eased back 1.34 points to 4,511.90.
In Taiwan, the Taiex rebounded 218.73 points, or 0.8%, to 28,400.73.
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 backtracked 83.72 points, or 0.6%, to 13,371.06.
In Australia, the ASX 200 subtracted 6.58 points, or 0.1%, to 8,579.36.
