KEEPING SCORE: Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 inched up less than 0.1 per cent to 22,902.75 in morning trading, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added nearly 0.2 per cent to 6,079.90. South Korea’s Kospi slipped 0.3 per cent to 2,421.05. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.2 per cent to 29,628.99, while the Shanghai Composite stood unchanged at 3,306.09.
WALL STREET: The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 2.84 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 2,680.50. The Dow Jones industrial average slid 7.85 points, or 0.03 per cent, to 24,746.21. The Nasdaq lost 23.71 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 6,936.25. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks picked up 1.30 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 1,544.23.
APPLE FACTOR: Apple slid 2.5 per cent on Wall Street overnight amid speculation the consumer electronics giant might cut its targets for sales of its latest iPhone. A Taiwanese newspaper had reported iPhone X sales targets may get cut amid weak sales, but that had already largely gotten figured in for Asian trading.
ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude dropped 22 cents to $59.75 a barrel. It gained $1.50 to $59.97 on the New York Mercantile Exchange overnight. Brent crude, which is used to price international oils, slipped 33 cents to $66.13.
CURRENCIES: The dollar fell slightly to 113.27 yen from 113.30 yen late Tuesday in Asia. The euro strengthened to $1.1861 from $1.1859.