Major stock indexes in the Asia-Pacific region traded mostly lower on Friday, as investors digested the latest economic data published in Japan. The island country’s inflation rose 2.8% in May, coming higher than April's but slightly lower than expectations. In addition, Japan’s private sector showed a slowdown in June.
Japan's Nikkei 225 traded flat at 7:21 am CET. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 1.71% and South Korea's Kospi declined 0.83% at the same time.
In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite traded 0.41% lower at 7:20 am CET while the Shenzhen Composite fell 0.13% at the same time. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.22% at 7:22 am CET.
The dollar traded flat against the yen at 7:21 am CET, selling for 158.8865.