Asian markets ended on a mixed note Tuesday after a volatile session sent several indexes swinging between positive and negative territory.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 average dropped 0.5 percent to 15,126.63, after it fell as low as 14,988.77, a level it hasn't seen since June 2006. The broader Topix index slipped 0.1 percent to 1,454.73.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index ended 0.5 percent higher at 27,803.35 after dropping as low as 26,952.94. The 40-constituent index lost 3.9 percent in the previous session. The 43-issue Hang Seng China Enterprises Index gained 0.2 percent at 16,694.08.
Shares of Marubeni were down 3.3 percent, while shares of trading conglomerate Mitsubishi Corp. lost 3.7 percent.
Shares of exporters mostly gained after a volatile session, during which the U.S. dollar straddled the 110-yen level. Shares of Honda Motor Co. climbed 1.1 percent and Nintendo Corp. rose 0.5 percent.
Financials ranked among gainers as investors looked for bargains, with shares of National Australia Bank rising 1.6 percent and Commonwealth Bank of Australia advancing 1.8 percent in Sydney, while in Seoul, shares of Industrial Bank of Korea gained 2.3 percent.
In Mumbai, shares of ICICI Bank gained 2.3 percent in afternoon trading, and in Hong Kong, HSBC Holdings overcame early weakness to end 0.2 percent higher.
Shares of Macquarie Group dropped 3.7 percent in Sydney, after it lowered its outlook for the fiscal second half.
In Hong Kong, resources were among the day's biggest losers, hurt by a correction in the prices of oil and gold. Shares of Jiangxi Copper dropped 2 percent and PetroChina Co. lost 1.7 percent.
ELSEWHERE:
BANGKOK: Thailand's main stock index fell 0.5 percent to 857.7 in moderate volume.
JAKARTA: Indonesia's stock benchmark closed 0.7 percent lower at 2,654.2, with late bargain buying pulling it from its session low of 2,630.9.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur Composite Index gained 0.1 percent to 1,382.6 in moderate volume.
MANILA: The Philippine Stock Exchange Index fell 0.5 percent to 3,599.5. It plunged 2.3 percent Monday.
SEOUL: The Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 0.5 percent to close at 1,932.9.
SHANGHAI: The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index dropped 0.6 percent to 5,158.1, its fourth straight session to end lower. The Shenzhen Composite Index fell 0.7 percent to 1,271.7.
SINGAPORE: The Straits Times Index fell 1 percent to 3,475.5.
SYDNEY: The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.9 percent to finish at 6,515.2.
TAIPEI: The Weighted Price Index of the Taiwan Stock Exchange advanced 0.7 percent to 8,727.2.
WELLINGTON: New Zealand'S benchmark NZX-50 index rose 0.4 percent to 4,107.2.
with files from other wire services
