Japan, Australia, India PMI, BOK decisions | Wilnesh News

Asia-Pacific markets opened mostly higher on Thursday as investors assessed business activity data from Australia, Japan and India throughout the session.

The Bank of Korea also kept its benchmark interest rate at 3.5%, as expected, but traders will later focus on the wording used in its press release to see if there is any chance of easing policy.

Previously, the Federal Reserve released the minutes of its July meeting, a summary of which showed that some participants put forward reasons for easing interest rates at the July meeting instead of the September meeting.

However, an “overwhelming majority” of attendees at the July 30-31 meeting “observed that if data continued to be in line with expectations, an easing of policy at the next meeting may be appropriate,” the summary said.

Japanese Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.79%, while the Topix gained 0.29%. Japanese business activities The pace of expansion accelerated in August, with the composite purchasing managers index climbing to 53.0 from 52.5 in July.

The manufacturing industry has resumed growth and the expansion of the service industry has accelerated.

Korean Cospi rose 0.23%, but the small-cap Kosdaq index fell 0.25%.

Hong Kong Hang Seng Index Index futures were at 17,514 points, higher than the Hang Seng Index’s last closing point of 17,391.01 points.

The S&P/ASX 200 index rose 0.34% after Australia’s economic recovery Composite Purchasing Managers Index Judo Bank said the index rose to a three-month high of 51.4 in August from 49.9 the previous month, helped by growth in services activity.

In the U.S., all three major benchmarks rose after Federal Reserve meeting minutes boosted hopes for a near-term interest rate cut.

The S&P 500 rose 0.42%, 1% above its all-time closing record. The technology-heavy Nasdaq rose 0.57% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.14%.

—CNBC’s Alex Harring and Samantha Subin contributed to this report.