Japanese markets were an exception among their regional counterparts, with the Nikkei 225 adding 0.4%, while the Topix rose 1%.
Japanese markets rose mainly thanks to a set of strong earnings, with Sony (TYO:6758) reporting a 70% increase in its quarterly profits. But the media giant made a weak forecast about dwindling hardware sales.
SoftBank Group Inc. (TYO:9984) rose 0.4% ahead of its quarterly earnings later in the day, as the technology investment firm is expected to report weaker earnings due to lower technology valuations during the month.
Japanese markets were also supported by a weaker yen, which remained near three-month lows.
Broader Asian markets were mostly negative. Australia’s ASX 200 index fell 0.4% even as data showed consumer sentiment improved further in November.
South Korea’s KOSPI lost 0.8%, dragged down by continued weakness in technology stocks.
India’s Nifty 50 futures pointed to a mixed open, as the index struggled to recover from sharp losses in October. India’s consumer price index is also scheduled to be released later in the day.
