Tourists pose in front of a giant “torii” gateway at Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island in Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture.
James Matsumoto| Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets were mixed on Wednesday, as investors assess the quarterly Tankan survey from Japan and ahead of the interest rate decision from the U.S. Federal Reserve.
The Tankan survey, compiled by the Bank of Japan quarterly, measures economic conditions in Japan.
Business confidence at big Japanese manufacturers improved more than expected in the fourth quarter, with the index climbing to +12 from +10.
Meanwhile, the index for big non-manufacturers’ sentiment rose to +30 from +27, improving for the seventh quarter in a row.
A positive index reading indicates optimistic respondents outnumber pessimistic ones.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 climbed marginally at open, pushing further its four-month highs.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 inched up 0.44%, while the Topix moved up 0.14% after the Tankan release.
In contrast, South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.32% and the small-cap Kosdaq fell 0.57%.
Futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index stood at 16,408, pointing to a weaker open compared with the HSI’s close of 16,374.5.
Overnight in the U.S., all three major indexes gained ground for a fourth straight day as U.S. inflation came in as expected, with the consumer price index rising 3.1% year-on-year.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average touched their highest intraday levels since April and January of last year, respectively.
The S&P 500 added 0.46%, while the Dow gained 0.48%. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.70%.
— CNBC’s Sarah Min and Alex Harring contributed to this report