Asian markets traded unevenly ahead of European opening, with Japan's Nikkei 225 rising 1.3% to 65,883.41 as some chipmakers benefited from renewed interest in artificial intelligence. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.7% to 8,700.50, Hong Kong's Hang Seng declined 0.5% to 24,715.95 and the Shanghai Composite slipped 0.8% to 3,902.33. South Korean markets were closed for the Chuseok autumn harvest holiday. Oil prices eased, with US crude down 0.82% at $91.40 a barrel and Brent crude off 0.83% at $102.22, although Brent remained well above the roughly $72 level before the war with Iran began. Talks involving US and Iranian officials were continuing through mediators, but had not produced a concrete outcome. Wall Street weakened as a stronger-than-expected report on economic activity revived inflation concerns. The S&P 500 fell 0.8% to 7,706.03, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 352.10 points, or 0.7%, to 51,511.59, and the Nasdaq composite dropped 308.24 points, or 1.1%, to 26,936.04. The 10-year US Treasury yield climbed to 5.10% from 4.96%, briefly approaching 5.14% on Wednesday, a level last seen in 2007 before the global financial crisis drove yields sharply lower. Higher yields can pressure stock valuations and raise borrowing costs across the economy. Recent increases have reflected concerns over inflation, heavy US government debt and other factors. A preliminary report showed US business activity growth reaching its strongest level in more than five years. US inflation has remained elevated, and the Federal Reserve raised its short-term interest rate last week, described in the source as the first increase since 2023 and the first in three years. Fed Gov. Michael Barr said further hikes are likely to be needed to bring inflation to the Fed's 2% target. The Bank of Japan recently raised its benchmark interest rate to counter the yen's decline, but the move had been widely anticipated and did little to lift the currency. A weak yen increases the pressure on Japan as an oil importer while crude prices remain high. In currency trading, the dollar edged down to 157.94 yen from 158.30 yen, while the euro was little changed at $1.1382 from $1.1388.