Investing.com - Asian stock markets were mixed in volatile trade on Wednesday, as market players continued to monitor movements in the currency market.
Market sentiment was also dampened amid speculation the Federal Reserve will end its bond-buying program sooner-than-expected.
During late Asian trade, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was down 1.1%, Australia’s ASX/200 Index ended 0.1% higher, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index closed up 0.1%.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei remained choppy as traders eyed movements in the yen and in the Japanese government bond market.
USD/JPY traded at 102.07, moving off the previous session’s high of 102.49. A stronger yen reduces the value of overseas income at Japanese companies when repatriated, dampening the outlook for export earnings.
Lingering concerns over an increase in the yields on government debt also weighed on appetite for riskier assets.
Elsewhere, in Australia, the benchmark ASX/200 Index ended little changed as the Australian dollar plunged to the lowest level since October 2011 against its U.S. counterpart.
The big four banks all fell, with Australia's top lender, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia slumping 2.4%, while ANZ Banking Group and Westpac Banking Group declined 1.8% and 2.8% respectively.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng edged lower for the first time in three days as market players looked ahead to further clues regarding the strength of the Chinese economy.
The next slice of Chinese economic data to come out will be the official purchasing managers' index, due on Saturday.
The China banking sector were among the biggest drags on the index, with China Construction Bank shares falling 1.1%, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China dropping 1.3% and Bank of China shed 1.2%.
Looking ahead, European stock market futures pointed to a lower open, as investors weighed the need for further stimulus in the U.S. following the release of upbeat U.S. economic data on Tuesday.
The EURO STOXX 50 futures pointed to a loss of 0.3% at the open, France’s CAC 40 futures shed 0.25%, London’s FTSE 100 futures eased down 0.1%, while Germany's DAX futures pointed to a drop of 0.2% at the open.
Investors were looking ahead to German data on consumer prices and employment change later in the trading day.
Market sentiment was also dampened amid speculation the Federal Reserve will end its bond-buying program sooner-than-expected.
During late Asian trade, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was down 1.1%, Australia’s ASX/200 Index ended 0.1% higher, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index closed up 0.1%.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei remained choppy as traders eyed movements in the yen and in the Japanese government bond market.
USD/JPY traded at 102.07, moving off the previous session’s high of 102.49. A stronger yen reduces the value of overseas income at Japanese companies when repatriated, dampening the outlook for export earnings.
Lingering concerns over an increase in the yields on government debt also weighed on appetite for riskier assets.
Elsewhere, in Australia, the benchmark ASX/200 Index ended little changed as the Australian dollar plunged to the lowest level since October 2011 against its U.S. counterpart.
The big four banks all fell, with Australia's top lender, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia slumping 2.4%, while ANZ Banking Group and Westpac Banking Group declined 1.8% and 2.8% respectively.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng edged lower for the first time in three days as market players looked ahead to further clues regarding the strength of the Chinese economy.
The next slice of Chinese economic data to come out will be the official purchasing managers' index, due on Saturday.
The China banking sector were among the biggest drags on the index, with China Construction Bank shares falling 1.1%, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China dropping 1.3% and Bank of China shed 1.2%.
Looking ahead, European stock market futures pointed to a lower open, as investors weighed the need for further stimulus in the U.S. following the release of upbeat U.S. economic data on Tuesday.
The EURO STOXX 50 futures pointed to a loss of 0.3% at the open, France’s CAC 40 futures shed 0.25%, London’s FTSE 100 futures eased down 0.1%, while Germany's DAX futures pointed to a drop of 0.2% at the open.
Investors were looking ahead to German data on consumer prices and employment change later in the trading day.