Stocks in Asia finished the Wednesday session mixed despite notching gains earlier in the day on the back of Wall Street closing at record levels.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index gained another 89.2 points or 0.5% to 19,865.82, on the softer yen. Major exporters extended gains made in the previous session, with automakers, banks and most tech companies trading higher.
The Hang Seng Index settled back 78.16 points, or 0.3%, to 27,894.08
Apple suppliers in Asia were in focus during the session after the company unveiled its newest iPhone model — the iPhone X — at a product launch on Tuesday. Apple stock closed 0.4% lower on Tuesday.
In corporate news, Toshiba said it would be speeding up talks to sell its flash memory unit to a consortium led by Bain Capital after signing a memorandum on Wednesday, according to Reuters. Toshiba stock finished the session flat.
South Korean memory chip maker SK Hynix closed by 1.3% higher and Samsung Electronics closed up 0.04% after rising more than 1% earlier in the session. Apple suppliers in Taiwan were under pressure, with lens supplier Largan Precision falling 3.8% by the end of the session. Hon Hai Precision Industry, which assembles Apple iPhones, closed down 1.3%
Against the yen, the U.S. dollar lost some steam but continued to hold above the 110 level hit overnight. The dollar last fetched 110.06 yen.
Australian markets were flat, with losses in telecommunication services and energy offsetting slight gains in materials and financials.
In other markets
The CSI 300 gained 4.68 points, or 0.1%, to 3,842.61
In Taiwan, the Taiex index lost 77.47 points, or 0.7%, to 10,532.88
In Korea, the Kospi index shed 5.29 points, or 0.2%, to 2,360.18
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index fell 5.33 points, or 0.2%, to 3,230.36
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 dropped 12.98 points, or 0.2%, to 7,827.43
In Australia, the ASX 200 subsided 2.18 points to 5,744.26
