Markets in Asia-Pacfic were mixed in Tuesday's afternoon trading as investors digested comments from incoming Bank of Japan officials, as well as Hong Kong's decision to lift its COVID-19 mask mandate this week. On the data front, Japan reported a 6.3% increase in retail sales for January but noted industrial production slid 2.3%.
The Nikkei closed 0.08% higher. The dollar traded flat against the yen to sell for 136.30 at 6:58 am CET.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.45% at 7:12 am CET. In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite declined 0.08% at 7:07 am CET, while the Shenzhen Composite added 0.15% at 7:11 am CET.
South Korea's Kospi rose 0.27% at 7:00 am CET and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.47% at the end of the session.
