Asian shares mixed, Nikkei up on further yen weakness, Australia down

A weaker yen lifted Japanese stocks Tuesday, while a drop in in business confidence led Australia's benchmark lower and the Hang Seng ended the morning session down ahead of details from the end of a key meeting on social and economic policies by Chinese leaders.

The Nikkei rose 0.9%, extending a 1.3% jump on Monday as the yen continued to weaken in reaction to a stronger-than expected jobs report from the U.S. at the end of last week that fuelled speculation the Federal reserve may start to taper its USD85 billion a month bond buying program as early as December.

In Asia, attention was focused on any details from a meeting of senior Chinese leaders setting economic and social policies for the next decade, which is set to end Tuesday. A key outcome of the meeting for markets would be any timetable for full convertibility of the yuan.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was down 0.71% at the end of the morning session.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200  trended lower along with the Australian dollar, after a National Australia Bank's monthly business survey showed that confidence eased in October to +5 points from +12 a month earlier. 

South Korea's Kospi rose 0.9%.

Overnight, the U.S. provided the region with a positive lead, as blue chips on Wall Street hit an all-time high, though trading was thin due to the Veterans Day holiday.