Asian Stocks close: stocks closed mixed in quiet trade

Asian stock indices closed mixed in quiet trade.

Hong Kong's markets were closed for a public holiday.

Japanese stocks were driven by a weaker yen. The yen traded near its lowest level since 2008 against the U.S. dollar. The U.S. dollar strengthened yesterday as the San Francisco Federal Reserve's research report showed that investors were underestimating the start of interest rate hike by the Fed. The Fed could raise its interest rate sooner than expected.

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) released its minutes from the August meeting. The BoJ said the Japan's economy has continued its moderate recovery as a trend. Japan's central bank added that "it was important to accurately gauge the underlying trend in prices".

Japan's tertiary industry index remained flat in July, beating forecasts for a 0.3% decline. June's figure was revised up from a 0.1% decrease.

Japan's Cabinet Office released its consumer confidence index for Japan. The index fell to 41.2 in August from 41.5 in July, missing expectations for a rise to 42.3.

Indexes on the close:

Nikkei 225 15,749.15 +44.04 +0.28%

Hang Seng closed

Shanghai Composite 2,326.53 +0.09 0.00%