Asian markets were mixed Wednesday as investors awaited the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates, with Tokyo stocks ending higher behind gains from exporters such as Toyota Motor Corp., while Hong Kong's main index snapped a four-day winning run.
The Nikkei 225 index ended 0.5 percent up at 16,737.63, after falling as low 16,552.54 earlier in the day, while the broader Topix index closed up 0.5 percent at 16,737.63. The gains came as the Bank of Japan left its short-term interest rates unchanged at 0.5 percent, as expected.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index ended 0.9 percent lower at 31,352.58, with resource stocks such as Cnooc and Angang Steel in the lead a day after both announced weaker-than-expected results. The 43-issue Hang Seng China Enterprises Index slid 1.6 percent to 20,081.75.
Shares of Woodside Petroleum dropped 2.8 percent and BHP Billiton stock lost 1.7 percent in Sydney, while in Tokyo, shares of Inpex Holdings Inc. sank 3.9 percent.
In Seoul, shares of steelmaker Posco tumbled 4.4 percent, while in Hong Kong weaker-than-expected figures pulled Cnooc down 4.5 percent and Angang Steel tumbled 6.2 percent.
In Tokyo, automobile exporters were among the gainers. Shares of Nissan Motor Co. advanced 2.8 percent, while Toyota Motor Corp., which has yet to announce its earnings, climbed 2.5 percent.
In Mumbai, shares of cellular service operator Bharti Airtel were up 1.9 percent in afternoon trading after it reported a better-than-expected 73 percent jump in fiscal second quarter net income, boosted by record subscriber additions.
Shares of consumer products firm Hindustan Unilever dropped 5.5 percent as its third quarter net income, which dropped 22 percent from a year ago, fell below market expectations.
Shares of drug maker Glenmark Pharmaceuticals jumped 4.9 percent, after it announced a licensing deal for a pain relieving drug that it is currently developing with Eli Lilly and Co..
ELSEWHERE:
MUMBAI: India's Sensex rose 1 percent to 19,981.21.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's KLSE Composite dropped 0.6 percent to 1,404.18.
SEOUL: South Korea's Kospi added 0.6 percent to 2,064.85.
SINGAPORE: The Straits Times Index climbed 0.1 percent to 3,800.95.
SYDNEY: Australia's S&P/ASX 200 finished 0.1 percent higher at 6,754.10.
TAIPEI: Taiwan's Weighted index lost 0.5 percent at 9,711.37.
WELLINGTON: New Zealand's NZX 50 index slipped 0.3 percent to 4,209.07.
with files from other wire services
