Shares in Asia-Pacific were mixed on Thursday, as investors watched for market reaction after the U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday moved up its timeline for rate hikes.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 let go of 272.68 points, or 0.9%, to 29,018.33.
The Japanese yen traded at 110.67 per U.S. dollar following a sharp weakening recently from below 110 against the greenback.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng regained 121.75 points, or 0.4%, to 28,558.59.
Trading of Next Digital shares in Hong Kong was halted on Thursday, according to an exchange notice.
That came after the Apple Daily, which is published by Next Digital, reported Thursday that five of its directors — including the publication’s editor-in-chief and CEO — were arrested by Hong Kong police.
The Hong Kong police had earlier said it arrested five directors of an unnamed company for “collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security.”
Australia’s employment increased by 115,000 people from April to May, the country’s Bureau of Statistics said Thursday. That was far higher than a 30,000 increase in employment expected by analysts in a Reuters poll.
The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.762, lower than levels above $0.77 seen earlier in the week.
In other markets
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 recovered 21.4 points, or 0.4%, to 5,101.89.
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index lost 1.26 points to 3,138.31
The Kospi index in Korea slid 13.72 points, or 0.4%, to 3,264.96
In Taiwan, the Taiex index recouped 82.75 points, or 0.5%, to 17,390.61
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 stepped back 40.4 points, or 0.3%, to 12,541.20.
In Australia, the ASX 200 skidded 27.14 points, or 0.4%, to 7,359.04.
