Asian stock markets mixed

Stocks in Asia-Pacific were mixed on Thursday after tracking losses on Wall Street overnight. Japan’s Nikkei 225 and Topix were down 1.28 percent and 0.81 percent respectively after Japan reported another trade deficit in December. The yen is currently at 128.43 against the U.S. dollar. South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.37 percent, while the Kosdaq was flat. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.57 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was down slightly. Mainland China’s Shanghai Composite rose 0.13 percent and the Shenzhen Composite fell 0.44 percent. Hong Kong and Australia are to release unemployment rates for December and October-December, respectively. Overnight on Wall Street, major stock indexes stumbled and the S&P 500 posted its worst day in more than a month.