Asian shares were mixed in holiday-thinned trading on Wednesday as investors brushed off Wall Street’s latest advance into record territory.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index gave up early gains, slipping 0.1 per cent to 20,598.39 while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng advanced 0.7 per cent to 28,370.43. Both indexes were at two-year highs, reports AP.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.9 per cent to 5,652.10 and Southeast Asian indexes were mixed. Stock markets were closed in mainland China, South Korea and Taiwan for holidays.
US benchmarks pushed higher to end in record territory. The S&P 500 index rose 0.2 per cent to 2,534.58 for its sixth straight day of gains.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.4 per cent to 22,641.67, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.2 per cent to 6,531.71.
Oil futures fell further. Benchmark US crude lost 32 cents to $50.10 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The contract dipped 16 cents to settle at $50.42 per barrel on Tuesday. Brent crude, the standard for international oil prices, fell 26 cents to $55.74 per barrel.
The dollar slipped to 112.56 Japanese yen from 112.86 yen late Tuesday. The euro rose to $1.1766 from $1.1745.