Investing.com - Asian shares were mixed on Wednesday with investors noting continued soft inflation in China likely means monetary policies will remain accomodative.
The Nikkei 225 was down 1.84%, while the Shanghai Composite inched up 0.14% and the S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.44%.
China said consumer prices gained 1.6% in September, a slower pace than the 1.8% gain seen, while producer prices fell at the 5.9% pace expected
In early Asia, the Westpac consumer sentiment survey rose 4.2% to 97.8, compared to an expected 3.0% gain, as a change in government leadership aided upbeat views.
In Japan, the corporate goods prices index fell 3.9%, matching expectations.
Overnight, U.S. stocks were lower after the close on Tuesday, as losses in the Healthcare, Industrials and Oil & Gas sectors led shares lower.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.29%, while the S&P 500 index fell 0.68%, and the NASDAQ Composite index lost 0.87%.
Investors also continued to digest relatively hawkish comments from a host of central bankers over the weekend at the International Monetary Fund's Annual Meeting in Lima, urging the Fed to stop putting off an initial rate hike.
Central bankers from two Emerging Markets in Asia believe a rate hike will reduce uncertainty in global foreign exchange markets, while Germany finance minister Jens Weidmann contends that a rate increase will lead to a stronger global economy. Days earlier, Weidmann told German newspaper Die Welt that conditions responsible for causing adverse effects to the global economy can intensify when "interest rates remain persistently low."