Asia-Pacific Stocks Mostly Lower After Japan's Industrial Output Data

On Friday afternoon, major stock markets across the Asia-Pacific region experienced mostly downward trends. This followed the release of the Japanese Ministry of Economy's report on industrial production, which revealed a 1.4% annual increase, slightly below analysts' expectations. Investors also closely monitored the latest U.S. inflation report.

Key Market Movements:

Japan's Nikkei 225 index dropped by 0.95% at 7:14 am CET. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 closed the session with a 0.41% decline. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell by 1.51% at 7:15 am CET, while South Korea's Kospi saw a 0.45% increase at the same time. In mainland China, the Shenzhen Composite decreased by 0.97% at 7:16 am CET, followed by the Shanghai Composite, which slipped by 1.22% a minute later.

Currency Movements:

The U.S. dollar gained 0.19% against the Japanese yen at 7:18 am CET, trading at ¥152.9580.