Asia markets mixed after ECB officials hint at rate cut, Australia retail sales rise

This is CNBC's live blog covering Asia-Pacific markets.

Asia-Pacific markets were mixed Tuesday as investors assessed comments from the European Central Bank officials signaling that rate cuts may be on the horizon for the world's largest economic bloc.

In Asia, the S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.24% lower as Australia's retail sales growth missed Reuters' poll estimates. Sales growth in April rose 0.1% compared with March.

Japan's Nikkei 225 dipped 0.16%, while the broad-based Topix was nearly flat.

South Korea's Kospi was fractionally higher, while the small-cap Kosdaq was up 0.36%.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.64%, while mainland China's CSI 300 index was 0.26% down.

In a speech Monday, Olli Rehn, ECB governing council member and head of Finland's central bank, stressed inflation in the euro area was falling in a "sustained way." He added: "The time is thus ripe in June to ease the monetary policy stance and start cutting rates."

Inflation in the euro zone held steady at 2.4% in April, marking the seventh straight month it has been below 3%, despite a slight rebound in December. The data for May will be out Friday.

"Barring major surprises, at this point in time there is enough in what we see to remove the top level of restriction," ECB Chief Economist Philip Lane said in an interview with the Financial Times.

The comments come ahead of the central bank's next meeting on June 6. Markets are now indicating a very high chance of a quarter-percentage-point cut to the ECB's main rate, from 4% currently.

U.S. markets return to trade today after being closed Monday for Memorial Day, with stock futures for all three major indexes rising.

Futures for the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.09%, while those tied to the S&P500