BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - Asian stocks ended on a muted note on Thursday as lower oil prices and bond yields offset a mixed set of earnings results from Broadcom.
The California-based chip and infrastructure software firm delivered record-breaking results for its fiscal third quarter but forecast quarterly revenue below Wall Street expectations.
U.S. Treasury yields eased from multi-year highs and oil steadied after a three-day rally, helping support regional sentiment to some extent.
The U.S. dollar index pulled back sharply ahead of the August jobs report scheduled for Friday.
China's Shanghai Composite index finished marginally higher at 3,942.09 as Beijing tightened tax rules on the sale of restricted shares. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dipped 0.39 percent to 25,213.31.
Japanese markets ended slightly lower on interest-rate concerns after BoJ board member Hajime Takata said the central bank should adjust interest rates nimbly to counter intensifying inflationary pressures.
Helping limit overall losses, a survey showed Japan's service sector expanded at its fastest pace since March in August, driven by strong domestic demand.
The Nikkei average ended a range-bound session 0.17 percent lower at 64,214.48 ahead of the auction of around 600 billion yen of 30-year government bonds later in the day.
The broader Topix index settled half a percent lower at 4,102.04. Among the prominent decliners, cable and optical fiber producer Fujikura fell 2.7 percent, oil and gas explorer Inpex slumped 4 percent and Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing tumbled 3.4 percent.
Seoul stocks ended modestly higher after sharp volatility as semiconductor stocks extended losses.
The Kospi index closed 0.26 percent higher at 6,579.48, with Samsung Life Insurance, LG Energy Solution and KB Financial Group surging 3-5 percent.
Australian markets advanced, led by banks and mining stocks. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.46 percent to 9,020.10, snapping a three-day losing streak. The broader All Ordinaries index ended up 0.41 percent at 9,198.30.
Corporate Travel Management shares nosedived nearly 86 percent to hit a 14-year low as the business relisted on the ASX after remaining suspended from trade since August 2025 amid an auditing scandal.
Across the Tasman, New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX-50 index fell 0.61 percent to 13,846.18 after data showed the country's merchandize terms of trade fell more than expected in the three months to June 2026.
U.S. stocks closed higher overnight, with the S&P 500 halting a three-day decline, as a rally in Treasury yields stalled after the release of data showing weaker than expected private sector job growth in August.
The ADP report showed private sector employment rose by 38,000 jobs last month, below 48,000 expected and down from an upwardly revised 46,000 jobs in July. That marked the slowest pace of job creation in seven months.
Separately, the Fed's Beige Book showed modest economic growth since early July, slightly employment gains and persistent price pressures.
The Dow gained 0.6 percent while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 added around half a percent each.
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