Asian stocks fell across the board Friday on renewed concerns for the health of the U.S. economy.
In Tokyo, the benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index shed 183.24 points, or 1.03 percent, to finish at 17,553.72 while in Hong Kong, the blue chip Hang Seng Index fell 278.06 points, or 1.3 percent, to 20,468.21.
Blue chips like Sony Corp. moved lower, as did machinery and real estate shares. Weaker-than-expected earnings forecasts also hit some shares like Casio Computer Co., which tumbled 16.5 percent.
Sony fell 1.68 percent while Komatsu Ltd. sank 1.32 percent. Mitsubishi Estate Co. dropped 2.56 percent.
Elsewere:
BANGKOK: Thai shares dipped 0.04 percent to 706.90 points in thin trade as gains in construction contractors offset losses from profit taking.
JAKARTA: Indonesia shares fell 1.2 percent to 2,022.30 points, hurt by weak bearish Asian markets after stocks in U.S. fell sharply overnight.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian shares fell as investors took cues from Wall Street's overnight decline in the absence of fresh domestic developments. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index of 100 blue chips dipped 0.3 percent to 1,351.45 points.
MANILA: Philippine shares gained as investors shrugged off concerns over next week's elections to focus on blue chips likely to report strong first-quarter results. The benchmark 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange Index advanced 22.40 points, or 0.7 percent, to 3,364.61, after losing 0.1 percent Thursday.
SEOUL: South Korean shares ended above the psychologically important 1,600-level for the first time on heavy buying from retail investors, with Hyundai Steel jumping on news of an iron ore purchase agreement. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, edged up 3.88 points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,603.56.
SHANGHAI: China shares dipped following recent record gains, as investors took profits and expressed wariness about possible government measures to cool economic growth. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index shed 0.7 percent to close at 4,021.68 points. The Shenzhen Composite Index fell 0.8 percent to 1,114.78 points.
SYDNEY: Australia's share market declined, as investors turned cautious after recent gains and spurred by losses on Wall Street in response to weak retail sales data. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index dropped 58.1 points, or 0.9 percent, to 6,297.4.
TAIPEI: Taiwan shares dropped Friday on a lack of new leads from foreign markets. The Weighted Price Index of the Taiwan Stock Exchange fell 65.32 points, or 0.8 percent, to 8,031.54.
WELLINGTON: New Zealand shares closed lower as top stocks succumbed to profit-taking, and brokers said the market may be due for a corrective spell after its recent surge to record highs. The NZX-50 index lost 25 points, or 0.6 percent, to finish at 4,226.39 on moderate volume.
SINGAPORE: Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index closed lower on the heels of losses in other Asian markets and in Wall Street. The index retreated 22.34 points, or 0.64 percent, to 3,446.92.
With files from wire services
