Asian shares mixed at Thursday close

By Aysu Bicer

ANKARA (AA) - Stock markets in Asia closed Thursday with mixed figures, continuing to be weighed down by concerns about inflation pressure.

The South Korean Central Bank raised its benchmark policy rate by 25 basis points to 1% in line with expectations, employing tightening monetary policies amid climbing inflation pressures.

In Japan, the service sector producer price index (PPI) exceeded expectations with an increase of 1% in October, while the leading index rose to 100.9.

The Asia Dow, which includes blue-chip companies in the region, rose 12.61 points, or 0.33%, to close at around 3,826 points.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 stock exchange was up 196.62 points, or 0.67%, to 29,499.

The Hang Seng, the benchmark for blue-chip stocks trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, gained 54.66 points, or 0.22%, to 24,740.

China's Shanghai stock exchange was down 8.52 points, or 0.24%, to 3,584 points, while the Indian Sensex benchmark rose 473.08 points, or 0.81%, to close at 58,814 points.

The Singapore index lost 4.49 points, or 0.14%, to 3,222.​​​​​​​