Asian trading was relatively muted on Wednesday, with Japan's Nikkei average ending a four-day rally as Toyota Motor Corp., Canon Inc. and other exporters lost ground after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's comments reduced hopes that the Fed would cut interest rates soon.
In Tokyo, Nikkei 225 index fell 12.88 points, or 0.07 percent, to 18,040.93 points while in Hong Kong, the blue chip Hang Seng Index fell 23.54 points, or 0.11 percent, to 20,818.61.
Losers included Advantest Corp., which shed 1.11 percent to 5,340 yen (US$44.13) and First Retailing Co., which lost 1.24 percent to 8,790 yen (US$72.64).
Elsewere:
BANGKOK: Thailand's shares ended down as no fresh news emerges. The Stock Exchange of Thailand's SET index lost 1.17 points, or 0.15 percent, to 759.42.
JAKARTA: Indonesian shares advanced on expectations that the central bank will cut key interest rate Thursday. The Jakarta Stock Exchange Composite Index added 9.33 points, or 0.45 percent, to 2,102.44.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's key stock index rose, driven by gains in plantation shares. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index of 100 blue chips rose 0.2 percent to end at 1,372.38 points, just short of its record high of 1,374.54 points.
MANILA: Philippine shares dropped for the second straight session as investors locked in profits after the market reached a record earlier this week. The 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange Index dropped 37.67 points, or 1 percent, at 3,570.47.
MUMBAI: India's shares fell, with the Bombay Stock Exchange's 30-stock Sensitive Index, or Sensex, losing 279.08 points, or 1.92 percent, to 14,255.93.
SEOUL: Financial markets in South Korea are closed for the Memorial Day holiday.
SINGAPORE: Singapore shares fell for the second day on some profit-taking, led by banking stocks. The benchmark Straits Times Index dropped 4.55 points, or 0.13 percent to finish at 3,568.35, its second-straight loss after Monday's record close.
TAIPEI: Taiwan shares inched up to a seven-year high on unusually heavy volume. The Weighted Price Index of the Taiwan Stock Exchange rose 10.69 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 8,314.68 points.
WELLINGTON: New Zealand stocks fell as investors took profit ahead of Thursday's central bank interest rate review, amid some talk that the central bank may lift rates for a third straight time. The benchmark NZX-50 slipped 18 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,294.21.
SYDNEY: Australian stocks slipped as the share market struggled to gain its footing after a weak lead from New York and lower metals prices hurt miners. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index fell 33.7 points, or 0.5 percent, to 6,337.1.
With files from wire services
