On Wednesday, Asia-Pacific markets were mixed as Wall Street processed a significant labor report from the United States that revealed that job openings fell to their lowest level in nearly two years in February.

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New Zealand’s central bank increased its benchmark, strengthening the New Zealand dollar by nearly 0.9 percent. The S&P/NZX 50 traded 0.27 percent lower at 11,866.83 as Wellington stocks erased earlier gains.

Even though the economy’s services sector saw growth for the seventh consecutive month, losses in the region were led by Japan’s Nikkei 225, which lost 1.68 percent to 27,813.26, and the Topix, which lost 1.92 percent to 1,983.84.

The Kospi index in South Korea gained 0.59 percent to close at 2,495.21, and the Kosdaq index also gained 1.77 percent to close at 872.36. The S&P/ASX 200 rose a little to 7,237 in Australia.

As investors continued to digest Singapore’s retail sales for February, the Straits Times Index rose by 0.35 percent. Hong Kong and Mainland China markets are closed for the holiday. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite experienced declines of 0.58 percent and 0.52 percent, respectively.

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