Asian stocks took more of an upbeat course Tuesday, with markets in Hong Kong and South Korea notching gains and with Japan's Nikkei 225 Average narrowing losses as the region closed on a mixed note.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 0.3 percent at 15,207.86, while the broader Topix eased 0.2 percent to 1,467.77 in volatile back-and-forth trading in Tokyo.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index moved into the green after dipping lower early on, closing up 0.5 percent at 26,732.87. The China Enterprises Index, tracking shares of mainland companies listed in Hong Kong, also pivoted off a negative opening, rising 0.4 percent to 15,449.47.
Shares of electric utility CLP Holdings added 2.1 percent and Hong Kong Electric vaulted 6 percent.
In Tokyo, shares of Canon fell 1.8 percent while export-oriented Toyota Motor Corp. also lost ground, easing 0.2 percent.
Japanese banking shares rebounded from a weaker start, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group climbing 1.4 percent and Mizuho Financial Group adding 0.6 percent.
Shares of Melbourne-based Centro Properties fell 40.8 percent -- adding to a 76 percent slide in the previous session touched off when the company reduced its earnings forecast owing to higher debt-financing costs.
ELSEWHERE:
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's KLSE fell 0.4 percent.
JAKARTA: Indonesia's benchmark JSX Composite was off 0.7 percent.
SEOUL: South Korea's Kospi index added 1.2 percent to 1,861.47.
SINGAPORE: The Straits Times Index climbed 0.5 percent to 2,269.31.
TAIPEI: Taiwan's Weighted Price index eased 0.3 percent.
SYDNEY: Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.4 percent to 6,236.9.
with files from other wire services
