HONG KONG: Asian markets were mixed Thursday after a record-breaking rally on Wall Street finally came to an end, while investors await the release of key Chinese data later in the day.
Japanese shares extended their run upwards thanks to the weaker yen, with attention turning to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as speculation swirls that he may put off a planned sales tax hike and call a snap general election.
Tokyo added 0.26 percent by lunch, Hong Kong and Shanghai were flat and Seoul was up 0.28 percent while Sydney dipped 0.27 percent.
The Dow edged down 0.02 percent and the S&P 500 fell 0.07 percent. However, the Nasdaq added 0.31 percent to sit at highs not seen since March 2000.
The Nikkei continued a rally from the end of last month that has been fuelled by the Bank of Japan´s widened stimulus programme, which in effect prints money, sending the yen tumbling against the dollar.
Immediate focus is now on China, which is due to release data on infrastructure investment, retail sales and industrial output later in the day.
