Investing.com - Asian shares were mixed on Tuesday with Japan's return from a holiday and invstors awaiting remarks from key U.S. policymakers this week, including Fed Chair Janet Yellen and President-elect Donald Trump.
The Shanghai Composite Index eased 0.30%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index edged up 0.36%.
In China, consumer prices for December rose 0.2% month-on-month, compared to a 0.3% gain seen and at an annual pace of 2.1% compared to 2.3% expected. Producer prices jumped 5.5% in December year-on-year at the fastest pace in five years, compared to a 4.5% gain seen. As well, China's planning commission said economic growth in 2016 was expected to be around 6.7 percent, within a target of 6.5-7 percent.
The Nikkei 225 fell 0.91%. Shares of Toyota were up 0.27% after initially trading lower. Its North American Chief Executive Jim Lentz announced on Monday that it would invest $10 billion over the next five years in the U.S. to meet demand and upgrade plants and build more fuel-efficient models.
The Japanese automaker has recently been criticized by President-elect Donald Trump on Twitter for shifting the production of its Corolla to Mexico from Canada.
The S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.86%. Earlier in Australia, retail sales rose 0.2% month-on-month in November, less than the 0.4% gain expected.
U.S. stocks were mixed after the close on Monday, as gains in the Healthcare, Technology and Consumer Services sectors led shares higher while losses in the Oil & Gas, Utilities and Telecoms sectors led shares lower.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.38%, while the S&P 500 index declined 0.35%, and the NASDAQ Composite index gained 0.19%.