Asian markets ended mixed Tuesday as an overnight rebound in crude-oil prices and on Wall Street helped support energy-sector stocks, while Japanese exporters lost ground as the yen strengthened against the euro.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 returned from a long weekend to fall 50.57 points, or 0.5%, to 10,774.18.
The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong regained 54.53 points, or 0.3%, to 20,987.78.
Exporters weighed on the Japanese market on the yen's strength, with companies exposed to Europe particularly hurt.
Mazda Motor shed 1.6%, Canon gave up 0.7% and Nikon lost 1.9%.
But Toshiba rose 3.6% with strong trading volumes on news the company and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates will jointly lead an effort to develop a next-generation nuclear reactor that can operate for as long as 100 years without refueling.
Energy-sector shares advanced after crude-oil futures jumped back above the $81-U.S.-a-barrel level on Nymex overnight.
Woodside Petroleum climbed 1.5% and Santos climbed 1.2% in Sydney, with Inpex Corp. gaining 0.5% and Cnooc rising 0.5% in Hong Kong, while Oil & Natural Gas Corp. added 0.8%.
Arrow Energy shares fell 2.2% to 4.99 Australian dollars ($4.54 U.S.) after investors gave up hope that Royal Dutch Shell and PetroChina would further increase their offer to buy the bulk of Arrow's Australian assets. Their original bid of A$4.45 a share was recently increased to A$4.70.
Shares of China's largest fixed-line operator, China Telecom, jumped 5.1% in Hong Kong, after reporting a jump in fiscal-year net income to 14.42 billion yuan ($2.11 billion U.S.) from 884 million yuan a year earlier.
In Seoul, shares of Kumho Tire tumbled nearly 14% after the company said its capital base had been severely eroded by lower production and sales, coupled with higher non-operating costs.
In foreign exchange markets, the euro declined as traders continuing to focus on a resolution of Greece's fiscal problems. The currency was buying $1.3519 U.S. against $1.3554 U.S. in late New York trade Monday and 122.01 yen versus 122.21 yen. The dollar was fetching 90.24 yen compared with 90.15 yen.
CHINA
Banking as well as property shares traded on the mainland declined on concerns about weaker dividends from the approaching earnings reports.
Shanghai’s CSI 300 Index shed 27.06 points, or 0.8%, to 3,275.57.
Bank of China's H shares advanced 1.8% to lead Chinese banks ahead of the lender's 2009 earnings.
Shanghai Pudong Development Bank lost 1%, China Minsheng Banking Corp. gave up 1.6% and Beijing Huaye Realestate Co. dropped 2%.
Chinese airlines were also lower as investors locked in sharp recent gains. China Eastern Airlines Corp. fell 1.9% and China Southern Airlines Co. fell 2.5%, while Air China slid 1.4%.
Elsewhere;
Korea’s Kospi index regained 9.15 points, or 0.6%, to 1,681.82
Singapore’s Straits Times Index picked up 16.48 points, or 0.6%, to 2,905.66
Taiwan’s Taiex Index faded 24.11 points, or 0.3%, to 7,811,87
New Zealand’s NZX Index slid 4.93 points, or 0.2%, to 3,228.37
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained back 44.60 points, or 0.9%, to 4,874.80
