Canberra, May 5, (dpa/GNA) - Asian stocks were mixed on Wednesday, as bond yields continued to rise and China kept key interest rates for corporate and household loans steady, despite Covid-19 and Ukraine woes.

Hawkish comments from more US Federal Reserve officials and Netflix Inc’s slump in after-hours trading on Wall Street due to lower-than-expected subscriber numbers also kept investors on edge. Shares of the US-based streaming service plunged 26% in after-hours trading after its quarterly subscriber loss.

China’s Shanghai Composite index fell 1.35% to 3,151.05, with growth and Shanghai lockdown concerns weighing on sentiment. However, Shanghai allowed 4 million more people out of their homes today as anti-virus controls that shut down China’s biggest city eased.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index slipped 0.4% to 20,944.67 amid disappointment about China not cutting lending rates.

Japan’s Nikkei index climbed 0.86%, to 27,217.85, after data showed that exports grew 14.7% year on year and imports grew an annual 31.2% in March. The deficit of ¥412 billion ($3.2 billion) for March was lower than the previous month’s ¥670 billion but was quadruple analysts’ estimates.

Uniqlo clothing shop owner Fast Retailing topped the gainers’ list to surge 2.5%, followed by technology investor SoftBank Group, which rose 1.4%. Carmakers Honda, Toyota and Nissan soared 4-5% on a weaker yen, while chip-related stocks such as Advantest, Tokyo Electron and Screen Holdings fell 1-2%.

Australian markets ended on a flat note, as gains in the health care sector offset losses across the mining and energy sectors. Private hospital operator Ramsay Health soared more than 24% after it received a $20 billion bid from a consortium led by private equity giant KKR.

Seoul stocks recovered from an early slide to end on a flat note as investors remained wary of uncertainties about US monetary policy and stagflation.

New Zealand’s benchmark NZX-50 index rallied 1.10% to 11,966.19, with Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Auckland Airport and Mainfreight all rising around 3%.

US stocks snapped two straight days of losses to end sharply higher overnight on the back of strong housing data and a steep drop in oil prices.

The major US averages rose between 1.5% and 2.2%, as earnings optimism helped offset concerns over rising bond yields.

GNA

Canberra, May 5, (dpa/GNA) - Asian stocks were mixed on Wednesday, as bond yields continued to rise and China kept key interest rates for corporate and household loans steady, despite Covid-19 and Ukraine woes.

Hawkish comments from more US Federal Reserve officials and Netflix Inc’s slump in after-hours trading on Wall Street due to lower-than-expected subscriber numbers also kept investors on edge. Shares of the US-based streaming service plunged 26% in after-hours trading after its quarterly subscriber loss.

China’s Shanghai Composite index fell 1.35% to 3,151.05, with growth and Shanghai lockdown concerns weighing on sentiment. However, Shanghai allowed 4 million more people out of their homes today as anti-virus controls that shut down China’s biggest city eased.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index slipped 0.4% to 20,944.67 amid disappointment about China not cutting lending rates.

Japan’s Nikkei index climbed 0.86%, to 27,217.85, after data showed that exports grew 14.7% year on year and imports grew an annual 31.2% in March. The deficit of ¥412 billion ($3.2 billion) for March was lower than the previous month’s ¥670 billion but was quadruple analysts’ estimates.

Uniqlo clothing shop owner Fast Retailing topped the gainers’ list to surge 2.5%, followed by technology investor SoftBank Group, which rose 1.4%. Carmakers Honda, Toyota and Nissan soared 4-5% on a weaker yen, while chip-related stocks such as Advantest, Tokyo Electron and Screen Holdings fell 1-2%.

Australian markets ended on a flat note, as gains in the health care sector offset losses across the mining and energy sectors. Private hospital operator Ramsay Health soared more than 24% after it received a $20 billion bid from a consortium led by private equity giant KKR.

Seoul stocks recovered from an early slide to end on a flat note as investors remained wary of uncertainties about US monetary policy and stagflation.

New Zealand’s benchmark NZX-50 index rallied 1.10% to 11,966.19, with Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Auckland Airport and Mainfreight all rising around 3%.

US stocks snapped two straight days of losses to end sharply higher overnight on the back of strong housing data and a steep drop in oil prices.

The major US averages rose between 1.5% and 2.2%, as earnings optimism helped offset concerns over rising bond yields.

GNA