Asia-Pacific markets trade mixed, breaking ranks from Wall Street gains

Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Friday, breaking ranks from Wall Street gains as investors also assess a slate of economic data in the region.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 slid 0.31%, while the Topix lost 0.39% after core consumer prices in Tokyo rose at a slower pace in August. The Tokyo core CPI, which strips out fresh food but includes energy, climbed 2.5% from a year earlier, matching Reuters’ economists’ forecasts, and easing from July’s 2.9% increase. The figure however remained above the Bank of Japan’s 2% target.

Japan’s unemployment rate also eased to 2.3% in July, down from 2.5% the previous month.

South Korea’s Kospi

rose 0.31% while the Kosdaq Index climbed 0.76%.