Neon ads in Dotonbori district, Osaka, Kansai region, Japan
Alexander Spatari | Moment | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets are mixed as investors assess key economic data out of Japan and South Korea.
South Korea’s unemployment rate in August came in at 2%, its lowest since June 1999. Meanwhile, corporate confidence in Japan fell in September, among both manufacturers and non-manufacturers, according the Reuters Tankan poll.
Confidence among large manufacturers slid to +4, from +12 in August. The non-manufacturers index dropped nine points to hit +23 in September.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 extended gains after a three-day winning streak, opening up 0.23%, while the Topix also saw a similar gain of 0.26%.
South Korea’s Kospi inched up 0.14%, but the Kosdaq was down 0.67%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slid 0.5% in early trade.
Futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index stood at 18,156, pointing to a stronger open compared to the HSI’s close of 18,025.89.
Overnight in the U.S., all three major indexes lost ground as traders braced for inflation figures out from the U.S. later on Wednesday.
The Nasdaq slid 1.04% to snap a three day losing streak, while the S&P 500 dropped 0.57%. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.05%.
— CNBC’s Sarah Min and Alex Harring contributed to this report.