Asian equity indices are exhibiting mixed trade in early deals on Friday, following the lackluster cues overnight from Wall Street after European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi hinted that decisions about the future of the ECB's massive stimulus may be decided in October. Investors are cautious as they await the release of China's trade data for August later in the day. Meanwhile, Japan’s Nikkei share average dipped near four-month lows while the broader Topix was almost flat as investors held off buying on concerns North Korea could launch another missile test on its important national holiday over the weekend. Among the other Asian markets, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Indonesia are higher. Bucking the trend, Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore are lower.
Hang Seng added 166.92 points or 0.61% to 27,689.84, Taiwan Weighted gained 48.62 points or 0.46% to 10,587.13, Shanghai Composite rose 8.18 points or 0.24% to 3,373.68, and Jakarta Composite was up by 0.45 points or 0.01% to 5,832.76
On the flip side, Nikkei 225 dropped 88.29 points or 0.46% to 19,308.23, FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI slipped 7.26 points or 0.41% to 1,775.72, KOSPI Index decreased 4.02 points or 0.17% to 2,342.17, and Straits Times was down by 2.35 points or 0.07% to 3,225.71.