Asia-Pacific markets slip as inflation in Japan inches up

SINGAPORE — Shares in the Asia-Pacific fell Friday as investors digest Japan's inflation data.

The Nikkei 225 declined 0.36% and the Topix index slipped 0.36%.

Official data released Friday showed that prices in Japan rose 2.2% in June compared with a year ago, in line with analyst expectations.

South Korea's Kospi was fractionally lower, while the Kosdaq inched up 0.16%.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.12%.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan sat just above the flatline.

Overnight in the U.S., the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 1.36% to close at 12,059.61 as Tesla shares surged. The S&P 500 gained nearly 1% to end the session at 3,998.95, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 162.06 points, or 0.51%, to 32,036.90.

The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 106.607 after falling from last week's levels.

The Japanese yen traded at 137.21 per dollar, strengthening from recent levels above 138 against the greenback. The Australian dollar was at $0.6919, rising from below $0.6880.

U.S. crude futures slipped 0.13% to $96.22 per barrel in early Asia trade, while Brent crude was little changed at $103.93 per barrel.