Traders work at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Shares closed down 0.3% at 22,188.26 points yesterday.

AFP
Tokyo

Signs of a pick-up in US inflation reinforced expectations the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates next month, supporting the dollar in Asia yesterday but regional stock markets were subdued after rallying the previous day.
In Japan, Nikkei 225 up 0.1% at 19,649.18 points; Shanghai composite rose 1.0% at 3,568.47 points;  
Sydney up 0.3% at 5,133.1 points and Hong Kong fell 0.3% at 22,188.26 points.
Traders are also awaiting the release later in the day of minutes from the US central bank’s October policy meeting, hoping for some clues about board members’ thinking and possible pointers to their plans for next month’s gathering.
The Fed holds its last policy meeting of the year in mid-December and a recent spate of upbeat data on the world’s number one economy have fanned speculation it will tighten monetary policy for the first time in almost a decade.
Talk of a hike comes despite a slowdown in global economies, particularly in China, while the central banks of Japan and Europe consider further stimulus measures. The Bank of Japan concludes a two-day policy meeting Thursday.
“The Fed minutes will definitely be focused on tonight,” Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at CMC Markets Asia Pacific in Sydney told Bloomberg News.
“There’s now an assumption that they are going to make a move in December. The bigger question now is whether they will be able to be as gently paced in their tightening as they plan to be as they monitor wage pressures.”
The dollar sat near seven-month highs against the euro and stood firm against the yen. Ongoing weakness in the eurozone and Japanese economies continues to put pressure on their central banks to increase stimulus, putting pressure on their respective currencies.
The euro traded virtually unchanged at $1.0645 from $1.0644 Tuesday in New York, while the greenback dropped to ¥123.28 from ¥123.39 in US trade.
Nervousness returned to markets on news that two Paris-bound Air France flights from the US were diverted because of anonymous bomb threats.
Emerging currencies also retreated as dealers shift into the dollar looking to invest in the US in search of better and safer returns.
South Korea’s won dipped 0.2%, the Australian dollar eased 0.1%, Indonesia’s rupiah shed 0.4% and the Malaysian ringgit was 0.1% lower.
On equities markets Shanghai lost 1% as investors fretted over the state of the economy and the imminent restart of initial public offerings that they fear will divert cash from established stocks.
Hong Kong closed slightly down while Sydney ended slightly up. In Tokyo, the Nikkei ended a little higher, paring early gains as the yen recovered some strength against the dollar in the afternoon.
Markets broadly rallied in Asia on Tuesday a day after suffering hefty selling in reaction to the Paris attacks. The bloodbath in the French capital Friday raised concerns about security in Europe and the possible effects on the region’s economy.
The anaemic performance in Asia came despite another positive lead from Europe, where Paris, Frankfurt and London all surged.
But in the first few minutes of European trade yesterday, London lost 0.4%, Frankfurt shed 0.6% and Paris gave up 0.7%.