Asia-Pacific markets tumbled Thursday in a choppy session as investors fretted the Federal Reserve could delay policy easing due to inflation worries, while China's entrenched consumer disinflation further dented sentiment.
China's inflation data for December released Thursday showed the consumer price index edged up 0.1% last month from a year ago, while the producer price index dropped 2.3% year-on-year, sliding for the 27th straight month.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dipped 0.13% as of final hour of trade, while mainland China's CSI 300 dropped 0.25% to close at 3,779.8773.
The Japanese yen strengthened slightly to 158.05 against the U.S. dollar, recovering from the five-month low on Wednesday.
South Korea's Kospi index advanced marginally to 2,521.9 after a volatile session and the small-cap Kosdaq gained 0.54% to 723.52.
Persons:
Australia's
Organizations:
Bund, Reserve, CSI, Barclays, CPI, PPI, Nikkei, U.S .
Locations:
Shanghai, China, Asia, Pacific, 3,779.8773