An aerial view of the central business district and Sydney Opera House on February 17, 2023.
David Gray | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets were mixed Tuesday as investors assessed consumer confidence data from Japan, with focus also on U.S. inflation numbers to assess the Federal Reserve’s rate cut path.
Australia’s business conditions and confidence were little changed in March, according to a survey by the National Australian Bank. Business conditions fell one point to +9, while business confidence rose one point to +1, remaining below average.
Japan’s consumer confidence index rose to its highest level since May 2019, with 92.4% of respondents also saying that they expect prices to rise a year from March.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 1.08% to 39,773.13, while the broad-based Topix gained 0.97% to end at 2,754.69.
South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.46% and closed at 2,705.16, reversing gains made earlier in the day, while the small-cap Kosdaq ended down 0.14% at 859.33.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was up 0.7%, while the mainland Chinese CSI300 was marginally lower and closed at 3,533.49.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.45%, rebounding from Monday’s losses and finished at 7,824.2.
Overnight in the U.S., all three major indexes remained largely range bound, with investors awaiting the consumer price index report out on Wednesday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average inched lower by 0.03%, while the S&P 500 ticked down by 0.04%. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite closed marginally higher by 0.03%.
Treasury yields rose, with the rate on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note up about 4 basis points to 4.42%.
— CNBC’s Hakyung Kim and Yun Li contributed to this report.