People commuting to work in the morning cross a pedestrian crossing in Tokyo on February 15, 2024.
Kazuhiro Noji | AFP | Getty Images
Most Asia-Pacific markets fell as Japanese corporate inflation rose in March and interest rate decisions from the central banks of New Zealand and Thailand are being weighed.
Markets in South Korea were closed on Wednesday, as the country headed to the polls to elect its next parliament.
Japanese corporate inflation reached 0.8% for March, the third straight month of increases and in line with expectations from a Reuters poll of economists, while investors also braced for the US CPI report later on Wednesday.
Separately, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand kept benchmark interest rates at 5.5%, saying a “constrictive monetary policy stance remains necessary to further reduce capacity and inflation pressures.”
Japan Nikki 225 The broad-based Topix was down 0.27%, while the broad-based Topix was down 0.17%.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index rose 1.32%, while the CSI 300 Index in mainland China fell 0.38%.
in Australia, Standard & Poor's/ASX 200 On track for a third straight day of gains, up 0.52%.
Overnight in the US, the three major indices finished mixed ahead of the CPI report, with a rise Dow Jones Industrial Average Close just below the flat line.
On the other hand, the Standard & Poor's 500 The stock achieved gains of 0.14%. Nasdaq Composite He added 0.32%.
CNBC's Hakyung Kim and Brian Evans contributed to this report.
