Investing.com - Shanghai shares gained in Asia on Wednesday but Tokyo and Sydney were down as services PMIs out of Australia and China disappointed.
The Nikkei 225 fell 0.94% on unconfirmed reports of a nuclear test in North Korea, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.89% and the S&P/ASX 200 eased 1.29%.
In Australia, the AIG services index for December came in at 46.3, down from 48.2. A reading below 50 signal contraction. The Caixin Services PMI for December came in at 50.2, missing a reading of 52.3 expected.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, fell 0.12% to 99.35.
On Monday data showed that China’s Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers’ index fell to 48.2 this month from 48.6 in December.
It was the lowest reading since September and was well below the 50-point level which separates expansion from contraction. Markets were also jittery amid concerns over growing tensions in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shi'ite cleric, prompting a retaliatory attack on the Saudi embassy in Iran.
Overnight, U.S. stocks were mixed after the close on Tuesday, as gains in the Telecoms, Utilities and Healthcare sectors led shares higher while losses in the Technology, Basic Materials and Consumer Services sectors led shares lower.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.06%, while the S&P 500 index climbed 0.20%, and the NASDAQ Composite index fell 0.24%.