Investing.com - Asian-Pacific stock markets performed in a mixed fashion on Friday, following an unexpectedly high inflation reading from the United States overnight.
By 11:40 am AEDT (12:40 am GMT) the S&P/ASX 200 and KOSPI 200 declined 0.1% and 0.3%, respectively, while the Nikkei 225 jumped 1.3%. The US consumer price index saw a 3.4% rise in the latest overnight release, surpassing expectations. Many market analysts interpret this as a signal for a sustained period of high-interest rates
In the commodities sector, Brent crude oil experienced a 1.10% increase, reaching $US76.86 per barrel. Meanwhile, gold saw a minor decrease to $US2,025.76, and iron ore prices fell more than 1% to $US138.16 per tonne.
Looking at local bond markets, the yields on Australian 2-year government bonds stood at 3.867%, and the 10-year yield remained relatively unchanged at 4.12%. Internationally, yields on US Treasury notes declined, with the 2-year yield sitting at 4.268% and the 10-year yield dropping to 3.983%.
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Chinese stocks made a comeback, with Shanghai's index increasing by 0.31% and Hong Kong's index rising by 1.27%. Japanese shares also continued their upward trajectory, with the Nikkei index surging by 1.77%.
In currency markets, the Euro and the Australian dollar both weakened against the US dollar in European and US trading sessions. The Euro dropped from $US1.0990 to $US1.0929 and was near $US1.0980 in late US trading. The Australian dollar slid from US67.23 cents to US66.47 cents and was near US66.85 cents in late US trading. The Japanese yen also softened, moving from 145.30 yen per US dollar to JPY146.35 and was near JPY145.50 in late US trading.
European stock markets also closed lower on Thursday, as the FTSEurofirst 300 index declined by 0.8%, while the UK's FTSE 100 index slipped by 1%.