Hong Kong stocks erased earlier gains and closed lower on Friday, with local property shares weaker amid concerns about possible tightening measures on Hong Kong’s housing markets.
The Nikkei 225 index added 12.15 points, or 0.1%, to 18,797.94, yet another fresh 15-year high
The yen turned slightly stronger against the U.S. dollar, trading at ¥119.34 from ¥119.49 late Thursday in New York.
The Hang Seng Index swooned 78.77 points, or 0.3%, to 24,823.29.
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority was scheduled to hold a press meeting later in the day, amid expectations it might unveil policies to cool down real-estate markets.
Major local developers mostly declined, as Wharf Holdings Ltd. tumbled 2.9%, both Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd. and Henderson Land Development Co. Ltd. skidded 1.6%, and Wheelock & Co. Ltd. shed 1.5%.
However, Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd., owned by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, rose 0.3%, after its 2014 net profit surged 53%. Its sister conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. advanced 0.6%, as its earnings more than doubled in the last year.
In other markets;
Markets in Taiwan were closed for holiday
The Shanghai CSI 300 inched up 6.55 points, or 0.2%, to 3,572.84
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index fell 23.32 points, or 0.7%, to 3,402.86
The Kospi index in Korea deducted 7.28 points, or 0.4%, to 1,985.80
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 gained 16.79 points, or 0.3%, to 5,878.47
The S&P/ASX index gained back 20.28 points, or 0.3%, to 5,928.77
