Paris: Asian markets were mixed on Friday as investors awaited a report on US inflation, while US stocks continued to rise to record levels on Wall Street, driven by gains in technology companies' earnings. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index fell 0.2 percent to 42,744.80 points, after economic data showed that Japanese industrial output fell last month due to US tariffs on Japanese imports.
According to Yemen News Agency, inflation in Tokyo fell to 2.6 percent year-on-year, while the unemployment rate declined from 2.5 percent in June to 2.3 percent in July. In Chinese markets, the Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong rose by 0.7 percent to 25,179.39 points, while the Shanghai Composite Index rose by 0.2 percent to 3,849.76 points.
South Korea's Kospi index saw a decline of 0.1 percent to 3,193.05, while Australia's S and P/ASX index fell slightly by 0.1 percent to 8,973.30. Meanwhile, Taiwan's TAEX index rose by 0.5 percent, and India's BSE Sensex index fell less than 0.1 percent.
In the United States, the S and P 500 index rose by 0.3 percent on Thursday, achieving its second consecutive record high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 0.2 percent, recouping earlier losses and surpassing the record set last Friday. The Nasdaq Composite closed 0.5 percent higher, approaching the record high it set two weeks ago.