Major Asian markets were split between marginal gains and modest losses on Monday as an uncertain outlook after recent advances and before U.S. and European data this week turned investors cautious.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 Index eked up 6.77 points, or 0.1%, to close the week’s first session at 10,018.20
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index budged but 0.06 points to 20,668.90
Several shares in Hong Kong were swayed after reporting their 2011 results.
Among them, China Petroleum & Chemical Corp gained 1.5% in Hong Kong and 0.1% in Shanghai after its 2011 net profit rose 2%.
But China Construction Bank Corp. fell 1.2% in Hong Kong, after it reported a 26% increase in 2011 net profit, but warned 2012 would be more challenging.
The performance also weighed on some other mainland banks traded in Hong Kong, with Bank of China Ltd. falling 1.9% and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. declining 1%.
But those losses were offset by gains in local property firms, which advanced amid expectations that the weekend election of Leung Chun-ying as the next chief executive of Hong Kong may not hurt their outlook.
Sino Land Co. jumped 4% and New World Development Co. rose 3.8%, while Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd. added 2%.
In Sydney, shares of Qantas Airways Ltd. rose 2% after the firm signed a Hong Kong budget-airline joint-venture deal with China Eastern Airlines Corp.
China Eastern, meanwhile, lost 1.1% in Hong Kong and 1.8% in Shanghai. The airline separately reported that its 2011 net profit fell to 4.89 billion yuan ($775.7 million U.S.) from 5.38 billion yuan a year earlier.
In Tokyo, Nomura Holdings Inc. dropped 2.7%, extending last week’s losses amid reported allegations about an employee’s involvement in insider-trading, related to a share offering by oil firm Inpex Corp.
But Inpex rose 0.9%, in line with broad gains for resource-sector stocks. Among other commodity-linked shares, steel maker JFE Holdings Inc. up 2.3%, and Pacific Metals Co. gained 0.2%
In other markets;
The Shanghai CSI 300 inched up 2.50 points, or 0.1%, to 2,555.44
Korea’s Kospi Index faded 6.97 points, or 0.2%, to 2,019.19
The Taiex index in Taiwan dropped 108.99 points, or 1.4%, to 7,967.62
Singapore’s Straits Times Index lost 15.58 points, or 0.5%, to 2,974.50
New Zealand’s NZX 50 Index regained 22.61 points, or 0.6%, to 3,471.92
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index slid 7.59 points, or 0.2%, to 4,262.80
