Asia opens mostly mixed

Asian stock indices opened the fourth session of the week mixed with Japanese stocks mixed while China, Australia gained ground and New Zealand, Hong Kong, and South Korea declined for the day, as higher bond yields worldwide hurt stock performance. 

Global stocks continue to hover near record highs on prospects of economic recovery as Covid 19 vaccinations spread, while US president Joe Biden carries on his stimulus agenda to bolster economic performance. 

From Australia, unemployment fell 6.4% in January, compared to a 6.6% drop in December, while employment change rose 29.1 thousand, compared to a 50K increase in December. 

Japan's TOPEX fell 0.54%, while Nikkei 225 rose 0.17% to 30,344. 

China's CSI 300 rose 0.26%, while Shanghai climbed 1.24% to 3,700. 

Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.38%, while South Korea's KOSPI declined 0.64% to 3,113. 

New Zealand's NZX 50 fell 0.05%, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.03% to 6,887.