Asian Markets Respond to Economic Indicators

Investors across the Asia-Pacific region were met with a mixed bag of performances in Wednesday's afternoon trading session. The focus was squarely on a slew of economic data releases, including pivotal manufacturing figures from China and the latest inflation numbers from Australia.

Market Movements Highlight Regional Variances

Japan's Nikkei 225 saw a modest increase of 0.35% by 7:29 am CET, while the dollar edged up 0.12% against the yen, trading at 142.4890. Over in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng added 0.13%, contrasting with mainland China where the Shanghai Composite dipped by 0.13%. However, the Shenzhen Composite bucked the trend with a 0.87% rise.

South Korea's Kospi wasn't as fortunate, falling 0.65%, whereas Australia's S&P/ASX 200 managed a 0.27% gain, illustrating the divergent paths of regional markets in response to the economic data.