MANILA, Philippines (AP) \u2014 Asian shares were mostly higher on Thursday after a mixed finish on Wall Street, where shares in Nvidia, Palantir and other superstar stocks pared their earlier steep losses. <\/p>\n
Traders are looking ahead for cues about U.S. monetary policy from a meeting of central bankers that begins later in the day in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell is due to speak to the conference on Friday. <\/p>\n
The Fed has kept its main interest rate steady this year, primarily because of the fear of the possibility that President Donald Trump\u2019s tariffs <\/a> could push inflation<\/a> higher. But a surprisingly weak report <\/a> on job growth across the U.S. may be superseding that. <\/p>\n Still, minutes<\/a> from the Fed\u2019s July 29-30 meeting released Wednesday<\/a> showed most Fed officials felt the threat of higher inflation was a greater concern<\/a> than the potential for job losses, leading the central bank to keep its key rate unchanged. <\/p>\n In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 fell 0.6% to 42,636.74 after a survey showed Japan\u2019s factory activity remained in contraction for the second month in August. The S&P Global flash Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers\u2019 Index (PMI) increased to 49.9 in August from 48.9 in July, just below the 50 level that delineates between growth and decline. <\/p>\n Regional manufacturers have been feeling pressure from Trump\u2019s higher tariffs on exports to the United States. <\/p>\n In Chinese markets, Hong Kong\u2019s Hang Seng index edged 0.1% lower to 25,135.09, while the Shanghai composite index rose 0.4% to 3,779.52.<\/p>\n South Korea\u2019s Kospi jumped 1% to 3,161.74, while Australia\u2019s S&P ASX 200 index added 1% to 9,005.00.<\/p>\n Taiwan\u2019s TAIEX climbed 1.2%, while India\u2019s Sensex added 0.1%. <\/p>\n \u201cAsian markets walked into Thursday like a card room still heavy with last night\u2019s smoke \u2014 muted, watchful, waiting for the next cue out of Jackson Hole,\u201d Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary. <\/p>\n On Wednesday, the S&P 500 dipped 0.2% to 6,395.78 after trimming a 1.1% loss earlier in the day. It is still near its all-time high<\/a> set last week. <\/p>\n The Dow Jones Industrial Average added less than 0.1% to 44,938.31. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.7% to 21,172.86.<\/p>\n