Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Wednesday amid Wall Street's declines after U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said that " equity prices are fairly highly valued ."

Powell also signaled that the rate-cutting path wasn't clear and that the central bank faces a " challenging situation ."

Australia's ASX/S&P 200 lost 0.92% to close at 8,764.5. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 added 0.3% to end the trading day at 45,630.31, while the Topix climbed 0.23% to 3,170.45.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand announced Tuesday that Anna Breman would be the new governor of the central bank, marking the first time a woman has held the role. She will commence her five-year term on December 1 .

Christian Hawkesby served as the RBNZ's acting governor since March, after the unexpected de

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