U.S. stock indices posted mixed results amid mixed earnings reports as investors awaited payrolls data to assess timing of the Fed rate increase. Data by Automatic Data Processing (ADP) showed on Wednesday that private sector of the U.S. economy added 185,000 jobs vs 215,000 jobs expected.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 10.22 points, or 0.1%, to 17540.47. The S&P 500 rose 6.52 points, or 0.3%, to 2099.84. The Nasdaq Composite gained 34.40 points, or 0.7%, to 5139.94.

This morning in Asia Hong Kong Hang Seng declined 0.50%, or 121.74 points, to 24,392.42. China Shanghai Composite Index climbed 0.04%, or 1.43 points, to 3,696.01. The Nikkei gained 0.58%, or 119.60 points, to 20,733.66.

Asian stocks mostly declined amid low oil prices and bets for the Federal Reserve to raise rates in September.

Japanese stocks fell at the beginning of today's session, but managed to grow later due to a weaker yen, which is favorable for exporters. Investors are also waiting for U.S. employment data due Friday.