Japanese share indexes ended flat on Tuesday as declines in Sony Corp., Elpida Memory and other technology issues were offset by exporter gains.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index dipped 15.61 points, or 0.09 percent, to finish at 17,408.57 points while, the benchmark Hang Seng Index fell 2.52 points, or 0.01 percent, to 20,769.70.
Losers included Advantest Corp., which fell 0.81 percent to 6,160 yen (US$50.49) and TDK Corp., which dropped 0.91 percent to 9,790 yen (US$80.25). Mitsubishi Estate Co. fell 0.88 percent to 3,360 yen (US$27.54).
Gainers included Nippon Steel Corp., which surged 5.70 percent to 695 yen (US$5.70) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., which jumped 3.02 percent to 580 yen (US$4.75).
Airline stocks also advanced, with Japan Airlines Corp. jumping 5.33 percent to 257 yen (US$21.07) in a favorable reaction to another drop in crude oil prices overnight.
Elsewhere:
BANGKOK: Thai shares fell 0.7 percent to 650.76 in moderate trade on continued profit taking, mainly in blue chips.
JAKARTA: Indonesia shares dropped as the market consolidated after recent sharp gains. The Jakarta Stock Exchange Composite Index slipped 0.5 percent to 1,808.58.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian shares ended higher, boosted by heavy volume with positive market breadth. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index rose 1 percent to 1,169.12.
MANILA: Philippine shares rose to their highest in nearly 10 years as a favorable economic and corporate outlook fueled investors' appetite for equities. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index jumped 58.06 points, or 1.9 percent, to 3,199.34.
MUMBAI: Indian shares ended lower as cautious investors sold cement and bank shares. The Bombay Stock Exchange's 30-stock Sensitive Index, or Sensex, ended down 168 points, or 1.2 percent, to close at 14,041.24.
SEOUL: South Korean shares edged down slightly, as losses triggered by disappointing fourth-quarter results from LG Electronics and SK Corp. were somewhat offset by gains in steel maker Posco and some technology stocks. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, ended down 0.32 points, or 0.02 percent, to 1,363.09.
SHANGHAI: Chinese stocks rose to their third straight record high as strong buying of bank shares ahead of a listing by provincial lender Industrial Bank offset selling of heavyweight China Life Insurance. The benchmark index gained 0.5 percent to a record 2,949.14. The Shenzhen Composite Index edged up 0.3 percent to 702.09.
SINGAPORE: Singapore's shares closed modestly lower, taking a breather from the previous session's record-breaking rally. The Straits Times Index fell 12.30 points, or 0.4 percent, to 3,132.90 after rocketing 2.4 percent to a new record closing high on Monday.
TAIPEI: Taiwan shares rose slightly on gains in the plastics sector, but investors generally kept from making big bets ahead of earnings season. The Weighted Price Index of the Taiwan Stock Exchange rose 9.89 points or 0.1 percent, to 7,852.36.
WELLINGTON: New Zealand stocks edged higher in portfolio reshuffling ahead of February's earnings season. The benchmark NZX-50 index rose 10.03 points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,131.13.
SYDNEY: Australian stocks rose to a record high, undaunted by an overnight decline on Wall Street, with banks and property trusts lifting the market. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 rose 8.4 points, or 0.2 percent, to a record finish of 5,735.0.
With files from wire services
