Asian stocks fell, with the regional benchmark index paring its weekly advance, as speculation the U.S. Federal Reserve will reduce stimulus in coming months overshadowed improving China manufacturing data.
The Nikkei 225 index in Japan fell 126.37 points, or 0.9%, to 14,201.57
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index moved forward 43.42 points, or 0.2%, to 23,249.79
Sony Corp. slumped the most in five years in Tokyo after the television and digital camera maker unexpectedly lowered its full-year profit forecast by 40%.
Sydney Airport sank 3.6% after its largest shareholder Macquarie Group Ltd. announced plans to give some of its stake to its investors. Panasonic Corp. surged 6.2%, a fifth day of gains, after doubling its full-year profit forecast.
Sony sank 11%, the biggest slump since Oct. 24, 2008, as stalling television and digital camera demand and box office flops curbed its outlook.
NTT Data Corp. declined 4.8% after the network-service provider cut its full-year net-income and operating-profit forecasts.
Panasonic surged 6.2%. SoftBank Corp. advanced 3.4% after quarterly profit at Japan’s number-three wireless carrier beat analyst estimates.
Sydney Airport lost 3.6%. Macquarie plans to issue about 340 million of the company’s shares to its holders on Jan. 13 and to distribute one Sydney Airport share for each Macquarie share.
In other markets;
Shanghai’s CSI 300 regained 11.24 points, or 0.5%, to 2,384.96
Korea’s Kospi Index picked up 9.33 points, or 0.5%, to 2,039.42
Taiwan’s Taiex Index docked 61.88 points, or 0.7%, to 8,388.18
The Singapore Straits Times Index slid 9.47 points, or 0.3%, to 3,201.20
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 gained 4.11 points, or 0.1%, to 4,913.83
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 slipped 14.37 points, or 0.3%, to 5,411.13
