SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific were mixed on Friday, as the Reserve Bank of India held steady on interest rates.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index slipped about 0.3%, as of its final hour of trading. In mainland China, the Shanghai composite rose 0.21% on the day to 3,591.84 while the Shenzhen component gained 0.744% to close at 14,870.91.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 fell 0.4% to close at 28,941.52 while the Topix index finished the trading day fractionally higher at 1,959.19. South Korea’s Kospi closed 0.23% lower at 3,240.08.
Meanwhile, stocks in Australia advanced, with the S&P/ASX 200 0.49% higher on the day to 7,295.40.
Shares in India were little changed in Friday trade, with the Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex both trading around the flatline. The moves came after the Reserve Bank of India on Friday announced its decision to keep interest rates steady.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan shed 0.27%.
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The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 90.569 after a recent climb from below 90.3.
The Japanese yen traded at 110.17 per dollar, weaker than levels below 110 seen against the greenback yesterday. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7667, lower than levels above $0.772 seen earlier in the week.
Oil prices rose in the afternoon of Asia trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures 0.31% higher at $71.53 per barrel. U.S. crude futures advanced 0.38% to $69.07 per barrel.
Source: CNBC