Mount Sakurajima, the symbol of Kagoshima, has minor eruptions several times per day.
Chiara Salvadori | Moment | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets are set for a mixed open as the region looks to economic data from several countries, including Japan and Australia.
Japan’s first quarter gross domestic product is expected to deliver a 0.7% year-on-year expansion, according to economists polled by Reuters, compared to a 0.1% expansion in the fourth quarter of 2022.
The Nikkei 225 looks set to continue its winning streak, with the Nikkei futures contract in Chicago at 29,895, while its counterpart in Osaka was at 29,880 against the index’s last close at 29,842.99.
The Topix hit its highest levels since August 1990 on Monday, closing at 2,127.18
In Australia, futures for the S&P/ASX 200 pointed to a lower open, standing at 7,217 compared to the index’s last close of 7,234.7 – as investors await the nation’s wage price index later today.
Economists polled by Reuters forecast wages to grow at a faster pace of 3.6% in the first quarter of the year compared to the 3.3% in the final quarter of 2022. The wage price index measures changes in the price of labor in Australia, and is a key metric when the country considers its monetary policy.
In Hong Kong, futures for the Hang Seng index were at 19,884, lower than the HSI’s last close of 19,978.25.
