Market Movements Across Asia

On Thursday, the Asia-Pacific stock markets experienced a mixed reaction following the release of Australia's trade and retail data, alongside China's annual inflation report. The S&P/ASX 200 in Australia saw a decrease of 0.57%, while South Korea's Kospi Composite enjoyed a slight increase of 0.34%.

Hong Kong and Mainland China's Performance

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose by 0.45%, contrasting with the slight dip of 0.11% in the Shanghai Composite. Meanwhile, the Shenzhen Composite in mainland China showed a modest gain of 0.26%.

Japan's Market and Currency Fluctuations

Japan's Nikkei 225 wasn't spared from the downturn, dropping by 0.72%. In currency news, the dollar weakened against the yen, trading 0.19% lower at ¥158.05950.