Asia opens mixed but mostly lower

Asian stock indices opened the final session of the week mixed with China, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea lower, while Japan and Hong Kong gained ground following earlier Asian trade while markets price in US-China and UK-EU global tensions. 

Earlier New Zealand data showed the manufacturing index down to 50.7 from 59 in July, while an index tracking food prices rose 0.7%, slowing down from 1.2% in July. 

Earlier Japanese data showed producer prices up 0.2% as expected in August, slowing down from 0.6%, while falling 0.5% y/y as expected. 

After PM Shinzo Abe's sudden resignation for health reasons, a likely candidate has been Chief Secretary Officer Yoshihide Suga among others, with elections taking place on September 14. 

US President Donald Trump asserted he won't extend the September 15 deadline for forcing Chinese company ByteDance to abandon its TikTok activities in the US, while banning its use for US citizens starting September 20. 

An earlier report showed the US has cancelled the visas of nearly a thousand Chinese student and researcher for "national security risks", which sparked criticism from Chinese officials. 

Japan's TOPEX rose 0.54%, while Nikkei 225 rose 0.30% to 23,304. 

China's CSI 300 dipped 0.06%, while Shanghai declined 0.10% to 3,231. 

Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.34%, while South Korea's KOSPI slipped 0.64% to 2,381. 

New Zealand's NZX 50 fell 0.57%, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.74% to 5,865.