Asia-Pacific markets traded mostly lower on Friday after the Bank of Japan (BOJ) reported that the country’s Producer Price Index (PPI) rose 2.7% year-on-year in September, signaling persistent inflationary pressures in the world’s third-largest economy.
At 4:24 am CET, South Korea’s Kospi gained 1.41%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 0.87%, and Japan’s Nikkei 225 declined 0.93%. In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite remained flat, whereas the Shenzhen Composite fell 1.13% at 4:27 am CET.
Meanwhile, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 traded largely unchanged at 4:28 am CET.
In the currency market, the US dollar weakened slightly by 0.13% against the yen, trading at ¥152.87 at 4:29 am CET, as traders weighed the impact of Japan’s inflation data on the BOJ’s policy outlook.
The PPI data adds to concerns that higher input costs could feed into consumer inflation, keeping pressure on Japanese policymakers to navigate the delicate balance between economic support and price stability.
