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Nikkei 225 climbs 2% leading gains as Asia markets rebound from Tuesday's broad sell-off

This is CNBC's live blog covering Asia-Pacific markets.

Sydney Harbour taking in the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and ferries at sunrise during the COVID-19 pandemic on April 20, 2020 in Sydney, Australia.
James D. Morgan | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Asia-Pacific markets rebounded across the region, led by Japan's markets and following a broad sell-off on Tuesday.

Investors assessed Australia's third-quarter GDP numbers, as well as the Reuters Tankan survey for Japan in December, which showed improving business sentiment among large Japanese manufacturers.

The Tankan survey, done by the Bank of Japan quarterly, measures economic conditions in Japan and the survey results are considered a key economic indicator.

The Reuters monthly poll is considered to be a leading indicator of the BOJ's official survey.

Japan's Nikkei 225 popped 2.04% and closed at 33,445.9, leading gains among major Asian indexes, while the Topix advanced 1.9% and ended the day at 2,387.2.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 rose 1.65%, closing at 7,178.4 and at its highest level since September 19.

The country's economy expanded 2.1% year-on-year in the third quarter, beating expectations from economists polled by Reuters.

South Korea's Kospi inched up marginally to 2,495.38, while the small-cap Kosdaq climbed 0.76% and finish at 819.54.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rebounded from a one-year low to climb 0.81% in its final hour of trade, while the mainland Chinese CSI 300 index posted a 0.16% gain and closed at 3,399.59, after hitting fresh four-year lows on Tuesday.


Overnight in the U.S., the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 slid on Tuesday as a recent rally on Wall Street lost steam.

The 30-stock Dow slid 0.22%, while the S&P 500 inched lower by 0.06%. In contrast, the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.31% to end at 14,229.91 as technology shares outperformed.

— CNBC's Sarah Min and Alex Harring contributed to this report

Nikkei 225 leads gains in Asia, powered by commercial services stocks

Japan's Nikkei 225 led gains in Asia, powered mainly by gains in commercial services and utilities' stocks.

The index climbed 1.9% on Wednesday, with global printing company Toppan Holdings, the biggest gainer, up 10.67%.

Electric utility Tokyo Electric Power Company, chip equipment supplier Lasertec and conglomerate Sony Group were among the other big advancers.

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— Lim Hui Jie

Australia's third-quarter gross domestic product expands more than expected

Australia's gross domestic product expanded 2.1% year-on-year in the third quarter, beating the 1.8% growth expected by economists polled by Reuters and matching the rate seen in the second quarter.

The country's statistics bureau said on a seasonally adjusted, quarter-on-quarter basis, GDP rose 0.2%, driven by increased government consumption and capital investment during the quarter.

However, it also noted that household consumption and GDP growth rates have slowed quarter on quarter due to sustained cost-of-living pressures and higher interest rates.

— Lim Hui Jie

Sentiment at large Japanese firms improves in December: Reuters Tankan survey

Business sentiment at large Japanese firms improved in December, according to the monthly Reuters Tankan survey.

Reuters reported that "sentiment improved for a second straight month as auto sector continued to recover from last year's semiconductor shortage and supply chain woes."

The sentiment index for manufacturers stood at +12, compared to +6 in November. Separately, the poll also showed the service sector index at +26, down from +27 in November.

A positive figure indicates optimists outnumber pessimists in the sector, and vice versa.

The Bank of Japan's quarterly tankan survey is due next on Dec. 13.

— Lim Hui Jie

CNBC Pro: These 5 stocks are on Goldman's European conviction list — and it gives one 130% upside

Goldman Sachs has unveiled its "conviction list" of its top stock picks in Europe for December — with one stock in particular standing out for its significant upside potential.

The Wall Street bank's analysts see a 130% upside potential for the stock over the next 12 months as the company makes massive infrastructure investments that will improve its sustainable free cash flow.

Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan are also bullish on the same stock.

CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.

— Ganesh Rao

CNBC Pro: JPMorgan nailed its 2023 forecast for European stocks. Here’s its 2024 call

JPMorgan strategists are making a bold call for European stock market performance next year after calling it right in 2023.

The forecast comes from the same team of strategists who accurately predicted the MSCI Eurozone's performance this year. They expected the index to rise 9.1% to close at 256 points by the end of December 2023 on a local currency basis. The index is currently at 266 points.

CNBC Pro subscribers can read more about their 2024 outlook here.

— Ganesh Rao

CNBC Pro: Eli Lilly vs. Novo Nordisk: The pros deliver their verdict on the viral weight-loss stocks

It has been quite a year for both Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk given the boom in weight-loss drugs.

Stocks of both pharmaceutical companies have rallied this year. Shares in Eli Lilly are up around 60% year-to-date, while its Danish counterpart Novo Nordisk has seen a gain of around 50%.

Should investors buy either stock — or both? CNBC Pro subscribers can read what the market experts think more here.

— Amala Balakrishner

Apple advance restricts losses for Dow

A gain in shares of Apple helped pare losses for the Dow in Tuesday's session, underscoring the climb in technology names.

The blue-chip average slipped about 0.2%, dragged on by slides of more than 2% in Goldman Sachs and 3% in Procter & Gamble. But a jump of nearly 2% in Apple — the best performer in the Dow — helped mitigate losses for the 30-stock index.

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Apple, 1-day chart

The move comes as technology as a whole has outperformed on Tuesday. In fact, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite is the sole major index poised for gains, as of 3:30 p.m. ET.

In a similar vein, information technology and communication services — which are both known for their exposure to tech — were two of just three sectors of the 11 in the S&P 500 on track to end the session higher. (Consumer discretionary was the other sector slated to close positively.)

Beyond Apple, the Dow was buoyed by advances of more than 1% in Verizon and Merck.

— Alex Harring

Oil prices keep falling despite OPEC+ efforts to convince market on cuts

Oil prices fell again on Tuesday despite efforts by OPEC+ to convince traders that the production cuts agreed last week will come through.

The West Texas Intermediate contract for January fell 72 cents, or .99%, to settle at $72.32 a barrel, while the Brent crude contract for February fell 83 cents, or 1.06%, to settle at $77.20 a barrel.

Traders have been skeptical that the OPEC+ will deliver on promised supply cuts.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said OPEC+ was prepared to deepen supply cuts in the first quarter of 2024 if necessary, according to Russian news agency TASS.

Saudi Energy Minister Price Abdulaziz bin Salman told Bloomberg Monday that the group would deliver on the 2.2 million bpd of promised cuts and could extend them beyond the first quarter if necessary.

— Spencer Kimball

Nio pops after EV maker reports shrinking losses

Nio climbed more than 4% as investors cheered narrowing losses for the electric vehicle maker during the third quarter.

The Chinese company posted a loss of 2.67 yuan per share, smaller than the 2.91-yuan drop expected by analysts surveyed by LSEG. It also marked a decrease from the second-quarter loss of 3.7 yuan per share.

That overshadowed revenue, which came in below analysts' consensus forecast in the third quarter. Guidance on the key financial measure was also soft.

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Nio, 1-day chart

— Alex Harring, Arjun Kharpal

Job openings fall to lowest level since March 2021

October job openings slid to the lowest level since 2021, according to Labor Department data released Tuesday.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey showed 8.7 million roles in October, below economists' consensus forecast of 9.4 million, according to Dow Jones. It also marked the fewest openings since March 2021.

That data is welcome news for investors hoping for evidence that prior interest rate hikes have had the Federal Reserve's intended impact on the economy. Stocks took a leg up following the data, but the Dow still remained more than 100 points down.

— Alex Harring, Jeff Cox