Asian stocks were subdued Thursday after softer-than-expected US inflation reduced expectations for a Federal Reserve rate hike on October 28, while elevated Treasury yields, high oil prices and stalled US-Iran peace talks continued to pressure risk appetite. Traders priced a 38% chance of an October increase, down from 50% a day earlier, according to CME's FedWatch tool. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.2% and South Korea's KOSPI slipped 0.14%, while Japan's Nikkei rose more than 1% as chip shares advanced. Strong results from AI chipmaker Micron failed to lift broader sentiment as investors questioned how long the memory shortage could persist. In the previous US session, the Nasdaq rose 0.24%, while the Dow fell 0.86% and the S&P 500 declined 0.25%; Nasdaq and S&P 500 futures later gained about 0.3%. The 10-year Treasury yield reached 5.306%, its highest since mid-June 2007, while Brent crude stood at $98.15 a barrel after rising more than 14% in September.