SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific were mixed in Wednesday morning trade, as investors look ahead to the release of a private survey on China’s July services sector activity.
The Nikkei 225 in Japan slipped 0.18% in early trade while the Topix index shed 0.14%. South Korea’s Kospi advanced 0.25%.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.16%.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan traded 0.16% higher.
Looking ahead, the Caixin/Markit services Purchasing Managers’ Index for July is set to be out at 9:45 a.m. HK/SIN on Wednesday.
Overnight on Wall Street, the S&P 500 gained 0.82% to a new record closing high of 4,423.15 while the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 278.24 points to 35,116.40. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.55% to about 14,761.30.
Currencies and oil
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 92.033 — above levels below 92 seen earlier in the week.
The Japanese yen traded at 108.98 per dollar, having strengthened from levels above 109.6 against the greenback earlier this week. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7395, higher than levels below $0.735 seen earlier in the trading week.
Oil prices were lower in the morning of Asia trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures around the flatline, trading at $72.42 per barrel. U.S. crude futures shed 0.13% to $70.47 per barrel.
Source: CNBC