Stocks in Asia-Pacific were mixed in Wednesday morning trade as investors in Asia-Pacific wait for the release of China’s latest benchmark lending rate.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 sat below the flatline while the Topix index shed 0.29%. South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.6%.
Shares in Australia edged higher, with the S&P/ASX 200 up 0.54%.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares traded 0.26% higher.
In Southeast Asia, stocks in Malaysia will be closely watched following reports that almost all states in the country will be placed under Movement Control Order from Friday as the government seeks to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Investor focus on Wednesday will likely be on China’s benchmark lending rate, expected to be out at around 9:30 a.m. HK/SIN. A majority of traders and analysts in a snap Reuters poll predict no change to either the one-year loan prime rate (LPR) or the five-year LPR, which were last sitting at 3.85% and 4.65%, respectively.
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