Stock market today: Asian shares meander, tracking Wall Street’s mixed finish as dollar surges

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mixed in Asia on Thursday after a lackluster finish on Wall Street following a report showing an uptick last month in inflation in the U.S.

The dollar was trading at 156 Japanese yen, up from 155.49 yen, reflecting expectations that the dollar will gain against other currencies under the policies anticipated with the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index edged less than 0.1% higher, to 38,754.50 and the Kospi in South Korea advanced 0.5% to 2,429.23. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.4% to 8,223.20.

Chinese markets declined, with the Hang Seng in Hong Kong falling 0.9% to 19,649.91. The Shanghai Composite index lost 0.3% to 3,428.37.

Bangkok’s SET lost 0.2% and Taiwan’s Taiex fell 0.5%, while the Sensex in India edged 0.1% higher.

A stronger dollar tends to put strain on other economies, noted Stephen Innes of Capital Economics. The Thai baht has also weakened against the dollar since the U.S. election, as has the Chinese yuan, or renminbi, which now stands at 7.2245 per dollar and was trading at about 7 yuan per dollar in early October.

“For Asia, particularly those economies closely linked to China, the dollar’s dominance is poised to become an economic wrecking ball,” he said in a commentary. “Countries with hefty USD-denominated debt are bracing for impact,” he added.

On Wednesday, U.S. stocks drifted to a mixed finish after the latest inflation update boosted hopes that a cut to interest rates next month will bring more help for the economy.

The S&P 500 was nearly unchanged, gaining 1.39 points to 5,985.38, up less than 0.1%. It was its first loss since a big rally erupted after the Nov. 5 Election Day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1%