Asia Pacific markets mixed as pandemic battle continue

Asia Pacific Stocks were mixed on Wednesday as countries in the region continued to put measures in place to battle the coronavirus pandemic.

In Japan, stocks saw a turnaround after an earlier slip, with the Nikkei 225 rising 2.13% to close at 19,353.24 as shares of index heavyweight Fast Retailing surged 7.7%. The Topix index also gained 1.59% to end its trading day at 1,425.47.

Mainland Chinese stocks dipped on the day, with the Shanghai composite down 0.19% to about 2,815.37 while the Shenzhen composite slipped 0.156% to around 1,740.65. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index also shed 1.29%, as of its final hour of trading.