Asian stocks turned in a mixed performance on Thursday after the Dow Jones Industrial Average broke its seven-day winning streak overnight and oil prices retreated on bearish inventory data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Investors also looked ahead to Fed Chair Janet Yellen's speech later in the day for clues as to the direction of U.S. interest rates.
China's Shanghai Composite index rose 3.40 points or 0.11 percent to 3,208.45 after official data showed China's foreign direct investment grew in the first ten months of the year. FDI rose an annual 4.2 percent to reach CNY 666.3 billion or around $97 billion in the January-October period. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was down 79 points or 0.36 percent at 22,201.
Japanese shares closed marginally higher after the Bank of Japan offered to buy an unlimited amount of Japanese government bonds using "fixed-rate method" for the first time since the launch of a new policy framework.
The Nikkei average ended a choppy session virtually flat at 17,862.63 while the broader Topix index closed 0.10 percent higher at 1,423.08.
While financial stocks succumbed to selling pressure after recent sharp gains, Central Japan Railway, Japan Tobacco, Mitsubishi Electric, Nippon Yusen KK and Ajinomoto climbed 2-3 percent.
Australian shares recovered from early losses as Telstra reaffirmed its financial guidance for 2017 and monthly figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed a surge in full-time jobs in October.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 rose 10.80 points or 0.20 percent to 5,338.50 while the broader All Ordinaries index closed 9.30 points or 0.17 percent higher at 5,408.90.
Telecom giant Telstra rallied 2.5 percent after it unveiled plans to save $1 billion-plus in costs over the next five years and flagged better returns for shareholders. Building material maker James Hardie soared 4.6 percent after announcing half-year results.
Mining giant Rio Tinto advanced 1.1 percent after sacking two top executives for their role in a payment scandal related to an iron ore project in Guinea. The big four banks ended less than half a percent each while oil majors Woodside Petroleum and Santos lost 2-3 percent.
Seoul shares recovered from early losses to end marginally higher as U.S. Treasury yields eased somewhat after a week-long surge. The Kospi average closed 0.90 point or 0.05 percent higher at 1,980.55. Trading resumed one hour late than usual earlier in the day due to the nationwide college entrance exam.
New Zealand's S&P/NZX-50 index dropped 9.92 points or 0.15 percent to 6,814.66, with Kathmandu Holdings, Metro Performance Glass and Orion Health Group losing 3-4 percent. Oil refiner New Zealand Refining paced the gainers to end 5 percent higher at $2.73.
Singapore's Straits Times index was up half a percent at 2,808 even as sluggish exports data raised risks of a recession in the economy.
India's Sensex was marginally higher at 26,303 as the rupee steadied after hitting a fresh five-month low against the dollar in the previous session.
The Taiwan Weighted rose 0.4 percent, while Indonesian and Malaysian shares were marginally lower.
Overnight, U.S. stocks ended mixed as financial stocks ended their seven-day rally and a slew of economic reports suggested that conditions largely held steady ahead of last week's elections. The Dow slipped 0.3 percent and the S&P 500 eased 0.2 percent while the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 0.4 percent.
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