Stocks in Asia-Pacific were mixed on Wednesday as coronavirus infections continue to rise stateside, while oil prices dropped.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 lost 67.29 points, or 0.3%, to 23,418.51.
The Japanese yen traded at 104.18 per U.S. dollar, having strengthened from levels around 105 against the greenback this week.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index tumbled 78.39 points, or 0.53%, to 24,708.80.
On the economic data front, Australia’s consumer price index rose 1.6% in the September quarter as compared to the previous quarter, according to data released Wednesday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The rise in the September quarter followed a "record fall" of 1.9% in the June 2020 quarter, according to the ABS.
Following that data release, the Australian dollar traded at $0.7139, following an earlier low of $0.7111.
In other markets
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 gained 37.99 points, or 0.8%, to 4,737.27.
In Korea, the Kospi index rebuilt 14.42 points, or 0.6%, to 2,345.26.
In Taiwan, the Taiex Index shed 81.26 points, or 0.6%, to 12,793.75.
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index dropped 29.39 points, or 1.2%, to 2,483.48.
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 returned to trading with a modest gain of 12.62 points, or 0.1%, to 12,264.52.
In Australia, the ASX 200 recovered 6.72 points, or 0.1%, to 6,057.74.
