Asian stock markets mixed

Asian markets were mixed as U.S. inflation showed signs of easing further. Asia-Pacific markets were mixed after the U.S. released more data showing inflation was easing. April’s producer price index rose 0.2 percent year-on-year, ahead of the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s forecast of 0.3 percent and a 0.4 percent decline in March. Core PPI, excluding food and energy, also rose 0.2 percent. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index was lower along with South Korean markets, falling 0.2 percent. The Kospi lost 0.62 percent and the Kosdaq was down a smaller 0.25 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 0.39 percent ahead of first-quarter GDP figures, while mainland Chinese markets were all down. The Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.68 percent and the Shenzhen Component Index fell 0.41 percent. Japan’s Nikkei 225 regional index rose 0.8 percent. Topix also rose 0.56 percent, led by health care and utilities stocks. Disney shares fell more than 8 percent the day after the media giant reported its second-quarter financial results, while U.S. stocks closed mixed overnight, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 losing 0.66 percent and 0.17 percent, respectively. Concerns about regional banks persisted as investors digested more economic data releases. In contrast, the Nasdaq Composite reported a 0.18 percent gain, with Alphabet shares nearing their highest level since August.