Asian stocks ended mixed on Tuesday, as Japanese stocks turned lower in afternoon trading as investors took profits on recent gainers such as Canon Inc.
In Tokyo, the benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell 100.85 points, or 0.57 percent, to finish at 17,527.45 while in Hong Kong, the blue chip Hang Seng Index rose 31.08 points, or 0.2 percent, to 20,788.61.
Losers included steelmaker JFE Holdings Inc., which fell 1.22 percent to 6,500 yen (US$54.62), Mitsubishi Electric Corp., which shed 1.61 percent to 1,223 yen (US$10.28), and Tokyo Electric Power Co., which sank 0.49 percent to 4,100 yen (US$34.45).
Banks also fell, with Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. losing 1.79 percent to 1.10 million yen (Us$9,243.70).
Elsewhere:
BANGKOK: Thai shares advanced 0.4 percent at 695.03 in moderate trade, with gains led by banks on optimism over first-quarter earnings due this week.
JAKARTA: Indonesian shares rose 0.1 percent to a fresh new high of 1,965.44 in moderate volume.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian shares gained 0.6 percent at a record high closing, recovering from an intraday low as late fun buying overcame some profit taking activity.
MANILA: Philippine shares gained for the second straight session, led by blue chips that are likely to post solid first-quarter results. The benchmark 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange Index advanced 50.31 points, or 1.5 percent, at 3,318.17, adding to Monday's 1.6 percent rise.
SEOUL: South Korean shares fell slightly on losses in shipbuilders. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, ended down 3.38 points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,528.66.
SHANGHAI: China's key stock index closed at a record high for the eleventh time this month, but profit-taking in many blue chips limited gains. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.4 percent to 3,611.87.
SINGAPORE: Singapore's shares closed flat as investors marked time ahead of quarterly earnings. The Straits Times Index closed up 1.17 points at 3,415.32.
TAIPEI: Taiwanese shares dropped to a 2-week low in line with weakness in other Asian markets. The Weighted Price Index of the Taiwan Stock exchange dropped 84.25 points, or 1.1 percent, to close at 7,959.29 points.
WELLINGTON: New Zealand stocks rose marginally, but the high New Zealand dollar and expectation of rising interest rates kept many investors on the sidelines. The benchmark NZX-50 index was up 6.3 points or 0.2 percent at 4,177.01.
SYDNEY: Australia's shares eased, with brokers cautious before the release of U.S. CPI data. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index fell 11.2 points on good volume to 6,186.5, off a record high of 6,237.7 on bullish leads from Wall Street overnight.
With files from wire services
