SINGAPORE – Shares in Asia-Pacific were mixed in Wednesday morning trading as investors gauge the impact of the Covid omicron variant.
The Nikkei 225 in Japan fell 0.11% in early trade while the Topix index also fell slightly. South Korea Kospi down 0.71%.
Australian stocks, back to trading after the holidays on Monday and Tuesday, rose as S&P / ASX 200 up 1.08%.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan traded 0.1% higher.
Investors in Asia-Pacific will continue to monitor developments surrounding the omicron variation. A study from South Africa showed that The immune response of people infected with the omicron Covid variant seems to increase protection against delta more than fourfold and possibly displace it.
Overnight, the S&P 500 fell 0.1% to 4,786.35, down from Monday’s record close. The Nasdaq Composite also fell 0.56% to 15,781.72. The Dow Jones Industrial Average performed better, rising 95.83 points to 36,398.21.
Currency
The US Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against its basket of currencies, was at 96.202 after a recent rise from around 96.
The Japanese yen was trading at $114.77/USD, still weaker than the sub-114.5 seen against the greenback earlier in the week. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7231 after a recent drop from above $0.725.
