Japanese stocks pulled back on Monday as investors worried about Greece remaining in the euro-zone after an anti-austerity party won Sunday’s election.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index let go of 43.23 points, or 0.3%, to 17,468.52,
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index advanced 59.45 points, or 0.2%, to 24,909.90, up for a fifth day in a row.
Against the U.S. dollar, the yen weakened to ¥118.17, compared with ¥118.05 at Friday’s Tokyo stock close.
Some Japanese export-related stocks saw substantial losses, with Mazda Motor Corp. tumbling 4.1%, Olympus Corp. down 1.8%, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. off 1.4%, and Sharp Corporation lower by 1.3%.
The radical leftist Syriza party won the national election in Greece, triggering concerns about the country’s bailout and ultimately, about Greece remaining in the euro-zone.
Against the euro, the yen was trading at ¥132.59, pulling back from its high of ¥130.16 earlier in the day, its best level since September 2013.
CHINA
At the same time, Chinese stocks also extended a five-day winning streak, with Shanghai markets hitting highest level in more than five years.
The Shanghai CS300 index added 36.25 points, or 1%, to 3,607.99
Chinese stocks continued to advance after the central bank’s recent moves to inject liquidity into the markets.
In other markets;
The Kospi in Korea inched back 0.41 points to 1,935.68
In Taiwan, the Taiex index gained 6.73 points, or 0.1%, to 9,477.67
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index moved lower 12.98 points, or 0.4%, to 3,398.52
New Zealand’s NZX 50 index gained 23.42 points, or 0.4%, to 5,698.66
Australian markets were closed for Australia Day
