Asia-Pacific Market Performance Mixed Ahead of BOJ's Rate Decision

On Wednesday afternoon, major stock indexes across the Asia-Pacific region showed mixed results as investors eagerly awaited the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) interest rate decision scheduled for Thursday. The central bank is widely expected to keep rates unchanged at 0.25%. This anticipation came alongside the assessment of the latest Japanese trade data, which indicated a notable development in the nation's trade deficit.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index experienced a decline of 0.47% at 7:16 am CET. In contrast, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index saw an increase of 0.92%, and South Korea's Kospi Composite advanced by 1.27%. On the Chinese mainland, both the Shanghai Composite and Shenzhen Composite improved by 0.71% and 0.60% respectively at 7:17 am CET. Meanwhile, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 remained flat at the close.

The US dollar showed no significant change against the Japanese yen, trading at ¥153.42900 at 7:17 am CET.