Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed on Thursday (1/23) as investors digested a slew of economic data in the region. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 traded 0.42% lower at the open. Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.38% at the open, while the Topix gained 0.25%. South Korea's Kospi fell 0.21% and the Kosdaq traded 0.13% lower at the open. South Korea's economy grew 1.2% year-on-year in the fourth quarter, marking its slowest expansion since the second quarter of 2023.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index futures were at 19,924, higher than the HSI's last close of 19,778.77. Singapore is expected to report inflation figures for December. The Bank of Japan also holds its next policy meeting today and tomorrow, with BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda signaling an intention to raise interest rates.

Overnight in the U.S., the three major indexes rose, with the S&P 500 hitting a new all-time high as tech stocks such as Oracle and Nvidia rallied on optimism about artificial intelligence and President Donald Trump's new term.

The S&P 500 gained 0.61% after hitting an intraday record of 6,100.81, surpassing the milestone last reached in December before the market slumped. The overall index closed at 6,086.37, just below its all-time closing high.

The Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.28% to 20,009.34, underscoring the outperformance of technology stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 130.92 points, or 0.3%, to 44,156.73, boosted by Procter & Gamble's nearly 2% gain on strong earnings. (AL)

Source: CNBC