Asian markets traded mixed on Wednesday as investors digested fresh economic data from South Korea and China.
South Korea’s Kospi advanced 1.34% after Statistics Korea reported that the country’s unemployment rate stood at 2.6% in August, reflecting a stable labor market. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index climbed 0.85%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.47%.
Meanwhile, mainland Chinese equities showed little momentum. The Shanghai Composite and Shenzhen Composite indices traded flat after official data revealed that China’s inflation rate dropped 0.4% in August, pointing to persisting demand concerns in the world’s second-largest economy.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index also hovered near the flat line.
In the currency market, the US dollar was steady against the Japanese yen, trading at 147.34 at 4:30 am CET.
