Asian stock markets rise

Markets in Asia-Pacific were mostly higher on Friday as investors digested inflation data from Japan. The nation’s core consumer price index rose 4 percent on an annual basis in December, the fastest gain since 1981. The Nikkei 225 rose 0.11 percent and the Topix added 0.22 percent. The yield on 10-year Japanese government bonds slowed to stop at 0.406 percent, just below the upper ceiling of the central bank’s tolerance range. South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.16 percent and the Kosdaq rose 0.4 percent. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.13 percent after earlier losses. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 0.94 percent and the Hang Seng Tech index rose 1.67 percent to lead gains in the region. Mainland China’s Shanghai Composite traded 0.54% higher after the country’s central bank left China’s 1-year and 5-year loan rates unchanged. The Shenzhen Composite added 0.6%. Stocks on Wall Street fell on Thursday as investors grew concerned that the Federal Reserve would continue to raise interest rates despite signs of slowing inflation. The Dow Jones Industrial Average saw its third straight negative session, paring gains from a short-lived new year’s rally.