Asian shares mixed on poor Japanese data

Asian share markets were mixed on Wednesday as poor Japanese data and worries about global growth put a damper on trading.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index slipped 0.6 per cent to 20,430.73 while South Korea's Kospi added 0.3 per cent to 2,102.45. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.3 per cent to 26,756.09.

Australia's S&P ASX 200 rose 0.1 per cent to 5,822.60.The Shanghai Composite index was flat at 2,568.88. Shares fell in Taiwan but rose in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, reports AP.

The broad S&P 500 index jumped 1.1 per cent to 2,610.30. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.7 per cent to 24,065.59. The Nasdaq composite, which has many technology stocks, jumped 1.7 per cent at 7,023.83.

Benchmark US crude oil dropped 13 cents to $51.98 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract added $1.60 to settle at $52.11 per barrel on Tuesday.

Brent crude, the international standard, lost 7 cents to $60.57. It gained $1.65 to $60.64 a barrel in London.

The dollar eased to 108.53 yen from 108.69 late Tuesday. The euro weakened to $1.1399 from $1.1413. After a Brexit deal vote fell through, the British pound fell to $1.2842 from $1.2859.