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Asian stocks mixed today: Hang Seng up 120 points, Nikkei shreds 0.22%

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Asian stock markets traded mostly in the green on Wednesday, buoyed by safe haven demand following CNN’s report that Israel may be preparing for a potential strike on Iranian nuclear sites.

China’s Shanghai Composite Index edged up 6.73 points, or 0.2%, to 3,387.21. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 120.88 points, or 0.51%, to reach 23,802.36. South Korea’s Kospi rose 23.98 points, or 0.92%, to 2,625.78.

However, Japan’s Nikkei slipped 80.83 points, or 0.22%, to 37,448.66 as of 7:45 am.

Asian shares also gained on Tuesday after China slashed key interest rates in a bid to counter an economic slowdown deepened by ongoing trade tensions with the US.

Chinese battery giant CATL surged 17.2% in its Hong Kong debut, after raising around $4.6 billion in the world’s largest IPO so far this year. In Australia, the Reserve Bank cut its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percentage points to 3.85%, the second rate cut this year, citing inflation now within its target range.

Meanwhile, US stock indexes slipped on Tuesday as Wall Street’s recent rally lost steam, after a strong rebound that had brought markets close to record highs set earlier this year.

The S&P 500 dipped 0.4%, marking its first decline in seven sessions, though it remained just 3.3% below its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 114 points, or 0.3%, while the Nasdaq Composite edged down 0.4%.

Treasury yields and the US dollar held steady after a brief shake on Monday, triggered by Moody’s Ratings lowering its outlook on the US creditworthiness due to growing concerns over rising national debt.
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