Asian markets were mixed during a volatile session Tuesday, with Australian stocks extending losses on financials such as AMP and logistics firm Toll Holdings after the central bank raised interest rates, while Indian stocks recouped some of their losses from the previous session.
The Nikkei 225 stock index on the region's largest bourse in Tokyo rose a meager 0.1 point to 12,992.28.
Real estate and housing shares weighed on the market after Sekisui House reported poor earnings Monday. Shares in the home builder and Sumitomo Realty & Development as well dropped 4.9 percent.
Japanese bank shares also ended lower, on weakness in U.S. banking shares overnight. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group fell 3 percent.
Also -- shares of Honda advanced 1% and Nintendo Co. gained 3.4% as the yen softened after hitting three-year highs against the US dollar overnight.
The region's largest losses were posted in Hong Kong and China, with the territory's Hang Seng Index dropping 2 percent to 23,119.9 and the Shanghai Composite Index falling 2.3 percent to 4,335.5.
Elsewhere:
South Korea's Kospi added 0.3% at 1,676.18.
Taiwan's Weighted index gained 2.5% at 8,470.11.
New Zealand's NZX 50 index was little changed at 3,584.47.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 ended 0.5% lower at 5,380.30, taking its losses into a fourth session. Banking shares, which traded lower for most of the session, recovered in late trading, helping to pare the index's losses.
with files from other wire services
