Most Asian indexes advanced Thursday, with South Korea's Kospi finishing at a record high, but Japan's Nikkei 225 declined on late profit-taking in machinery stocks such as Komatsu and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
In Tokyo, Nikkei 225 index shed 65.37 points, or 0.36 percent, to 17,984.14 while in Hong Kong, the blue chip Hang Seng Index rose 202.0 points, or 0.9 percent, to 22,809.02.
Brokerages sank as some investors saw such financial-sector stocks as being related to the subprime-loan situation.
Losers included Daiwa Securities Group Inc., which lost 1.81 percent to 1,305 yen ($10.70) and Nomura Holdings Inc., which shed 4.75 percent to 2,205 yen ($18.07). Consumer finance firms also declined, with Takefuji Corp. falling 1.27 percent to 3,880 yen ($31.80).
ELSEWHERE:
BANGKOK: Thai shares ended down 0.3 percent at 843.87 amid active trade, as profit-taking continues in blue chips.
JAKARTA: Indonesian shares closed 0.5 percent higher at a fresh record high of 2,284.92 in moderate volume.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian shares ended up 0.5 percent at 1,366.02, with earlier gains almost halved by the end of session on late profit-taking.
MANILA: Philippine shares climbed, inspired by Wall Street's advance, after four sessions of losses. The benchmark 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange Index rose 60.24 points, or 1.4 percent, at 3,756.75, after losing 2.6 percent over the last four days.
SEOUL: South Korean shares ended at a fresh record high, helped by the Bank of Korea's widely expected move to raise its key interest rate, which put to rest any uncertainty over its rate decision. Steelmaker Posco and insurance stocks led gainers. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, ended up 19.79 points, or 1.1 percent, at 1,909.75.
SHANGHAI: Chinese stocks advanced, buoyed by a surge in foreign currency-denominated "B shares." The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index, which tracks both A shares, priced in yuan, and B shares, gained 50.27 points, or 1.3 percent, to 3,915.99. The Shenzhen Composite Index of China's smaller, second market edged up climbed 5.13 points, or 0.5 percent, to 1,091.37.
SINGAPORE: Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index rose after a strong showing in U.S. markets, although some analysts ascribed the rise chiefly to the actions of momemtum-driven investors. The STI closed up 29.62 points, or 0.8 percent, at 3,624.56.
TAIPEI: Taiwanese shares rallied, following overnight Wall Street strength, with gains led by financial, petrochemical, and paper stocks. The Weighted Price Index of the Taiwan Stock Exchange rose 63.46 points, or 0.7 percent, at 9,354.41 on robust volume.
WELLINGTON: New Zealand shares closed slightly higher Thursday, as the market continued to trade on low volumes amid a pre-earnings season lull and a lack of major corporate news to drive sentiment. The benchmark NZX-50 Index closed up 0.2 percent, or 9 points, at 4,238.54.
SYDNEY: Australian shares rose, led by Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton after metal prices gained and on reports both were looking at bidding for aluminum producer Alcan. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 closed up 0.6 percent at 6,363.4.
With files from wire services
