Asian stocks mixed-

HONG KONG, Jan 9 (AFP): Asian markets were mixed Friday after a two-day stutter as traders look ahead to the release of crucial US jobs data and a possible Supreme Court ruling on Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs.

A Beijing report on rising Chinese consumer prices and Chinese AI startup MiniMax's soaring market debut in Hong Kong provided a boost to Shanghai and Hong Kong stocks.

Equities have largely enjoyed a solid start to the new year, with Seoul hitting several record highs this week, thanks to optimism over the tech sector and earnings.

But focus is now on the outlook for US interest rates, with closely watched non-farm payrolls figures due out later in the day. Traders will be poring over the figures as they could play a key role in the Federal Reserve's decision-making leading up to its next policy meeting at the end of the month.