Asian markets ended mixed Wednesday, with Japanese shares skidding on exporters such as Canon Inc. as the yen recovered strongly against rivals, while Hong Kong stocks ended at a record high on gains in railway operator MTR Corp. and property firms.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index dropped 262.02 points, or 1.6 percent, on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, to finish at 16,158.45 points while in Hong Kong, the blue chip Hang Seng Index added 397.08 points in morning trade to a fresh intraday record high of 24,283.15 points.
Losers included blue-chip exporters and real estate shares. Toyota Motor Corp. fell 1.04 percent and Canon Inc. tumbled 3.17 percent, while Sumitomo Realty & Development Co. sank 4.86 percent.
Machinery stocks also declined, with Komatsu Ltd. shedding 2.83 percent.
ELSEWHERE:
BANGKOK: Thai shares rose on muted volume, with energy, shipping and industrial issues dominating activity. The main SET Index added 0.5 percent to 814.50.
JAKARTA: Indonesian shares finished flat as investors awaited Thursday's central bank meeting on interest rates policy. The main index lost less than half a point to 2,214.622 in thin volume.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian shares rose in moderate volume, with the main KLCI index adding 1.1 percent to close at 1,297.93.
MANILA: Philippine shares rebounded, led by Manila Electric Co., aided by Wall Street's overnight advance. The 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange Index gained 130.05 points, or 0.9 percent, at 3,342.35, after retreating 1.7 percent Tuesday.
SEOUL: South Korean shares edged down as profit-taking hit steel-makers, but Hyundai Motor advanced after a peaceful settlement with union workers over wage negotiations. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, finished 9.15 points, or 0.5 percent, lower at 1,865.59.
SHANGHAI: Chinese stocks rose as a rally in U.S. gold futures pushed metals shares higher. Large-capitalized shares fell on fears that upcoming share offerings might sap demand. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gained 16.67 points, or 0.3 percent, to 5,310.72. The Shenzhen Composite Index rose 0.4 percent to 1,476.10.
SINGAPORE: Singapore shares rose on Wall Street's overnight gains and a strong showing by some blue chips, though a computer glitch made the benchmark Straits Times Index calculations unreliable for part of the day. The index ended up 2 percent, or 69.02 points, at 3445.08 points.
TAIPEI: Taiwan shares slipped on profit-taking, with the cement and financial sectors particularly weak. The Weighted Price Index of the Taiwan Stock Exchange fell 9.13 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 8,913.85.
WELLINGTON: New Zealand shares closed flat on modest volume, with the benchmark NZX-50 index inching up 4.5 points, or 0.1 percent, to 4,155.
SYDNEY: Australian shares closed down after retreating sharply from a six-week high as offshore markets weakened. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 shed 30.6 points, or 0.5 percent, to 6,262.7 on light volume.
with files from other wire services
