The Melbourne skyline is reflected in the Maribyrnong River in the early morning light on April 18, 2023.
William West | AFP | Getty Images
Asia Pacific markets rose on Wednesday ahead of Australia's July inflation figures.
Minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia's last meeting revealed the central bank was considering raising interest rates as it seeks to curb inflation.
Australia's weighted Consumer Price Index (CPI) is expected to rise modestly to 3.4% year-on-year, compared with 3.8% in June.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 futures were at 7,996, down from the previous close of 8,071.2.
Japan's Nikkei 225 futures also fell to 38,170 for the Chicago futures contract and 38,230 for the Osaka futures contract, down from the previous day's close of 38,288.62, signalling a weak start to the market.
Hong Kong Hang Seng Index futures were at 17,871, below the HSI's last closing price of 17,874.67.Chinese online retailer JD.com announced a $5 billion share buyback late Tuesday, sending its U.S.-listed shares up 2.24%.
Overnight in the US, all three major stock indexes rose as investors focused on tech giant Nvidia's earnings report, due to be released on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing up 0.02% at 41,250.5.
The S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index rose 0.2% to close at 17,754.82.
—CNBC's Lisa Kailai Han and Brian Evans contributed to this report.
