Asian stocks mixed amid expectations for US rates to stay high

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were trading mixed Wednesday, as expectations resurfaced that U.S. interest rates may stay high for a while.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 dipped 0.6% in morning trading to 38,226.39. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged up 0.2% to 7,624.70. South Korea's Kospi declined 0.3% to 2,603.22. Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.2% to 16,283.91, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.6% to 3,026.20.

The mixed reaction came after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said at an event Tuesday that the central bank has been waiting to cut its main interest rate, which is at its highest level since 2001, because it first needs more confidence inflation is heading sustainably down to its 2% target.

"Appetite for risk-taking remains weak, with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell validating a later timeline for rate cuts, alongside a raft of Fed speakers calling for more patience in easing," said Yeap Jun Rong, market analyst at IG.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 fell 10.41 points, or 0.2%, to 5,051.41. The index deepened its loss from the day before, when it sank under the pressure brought by a jump in Treasury yields.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 63.86, or 0.2%, to 37,798.97, and the Nasdaq composite fell 19.77, or 0.1%, to 15,865.25.

But the majority of stocks fell as Treasury yields rose following Powell's comments. They've been climbing rapidly as traders give up hopes that the Fed will deliver many cuts to interest rates this year. High rates hurt prices for all kinds of investments and raise the risk of a recession in the future.

"The recent data have clearly not given us greater confidence and instead indicate that it's likely to take longer than expected to achieve that confidence," Powell said, referring to a string of reports this year that showed inflation remaining hotter than forecast.