Asian markets traded mixed on Thursday as the Nikkei 225 soared to an all-time high, briefly surpassing the previous record of 38,915.87 set in December 1989. In data, the latest business activity report from Japan showed manufacturing receded further into contraction territory in February, with the services sector activity shrinking somewhat compared to January.
The Nikkei 225 jumped 1.65% at 3:19 am CET, the Kospi Composite gained 0.21%, and the Shanghai Composite was up by 0.06%. A minute later, the Hang Seng lost 0.28%, the S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.07%, and the Shenzhen Composite was flat.
The dollar traded 0.11% higher compared to the yen selling for 150.36600 at 3:21 am CET.