Asian Shares Mixed; Japan's Nikkei Closes At 3-week High

Group 1: Market Overview - Asian stocks ended mixed, with concerns over AI demand and margins following Microsoft's lowered sales targets [1] - Investors are cautious ahead of upcoming rate decisions by the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan [1] - The dollar faced pressure due to weak U.S. data, increasing expectations for a Fed rate cut [1] Group 2: Regional Market Performance - China's Shanghai Composite index fell slightly to 3,875.79 amid worries over slowing services growth and a prolonged property slump [2] - Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose by 0.68 percent to 25,935.90 [2] - The Nikkei average surged 2.33 percent to 51,028.42, reaching a three-week closing high [3] - The broader Topix index increased by 1.92 percent to 3,398.21, with notable gains in Tokyo Electron and SoftBank Group [3] - Seoul's Kospi average slipped 0.19 percent to 4,028.51, led by losses in chipmakers [4] - Australian markets saw modest gains, with the S&P/ASX 200 up 0.27 percent to 8,618.40, driven by strong copper prices [5] - New Zealand's S&P/NX-50 index declined by 0.49 percent to 13,515.62, ending a two-day winning streak [6] Group 3: Economic Indicators - U.S. private sector employment unexpectedly declined by 32,000 in November, contrary to expectations of a 10,000 job increase [6] - U.S. services activity expanded at a slightly faster pace in November, with the Dow rising by 0.9 percent and the S&P 500 adding 0.3 percent [7]