Asian share markets were mixed Monday with Japanese exporters giving up early gains as the yen advanced, while heavyweight Nomura Holdings fell after it announced a fundraising plan to cope with losses.
The Nikkei 225 ended down 1.3% or 107.59 points to 7969.03 in Tokyo, after rising more than 2% earlier in the day.
Chinese shares rose on hopes for government policies to stimulate falling demand. China's Shanghai Composite added 2.7%, or 59.39 points to 2,296.67, helping Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index recover from intraday lows. The benchmark index ended up 114.02 points or 0.8% to 13,769.02.
In Japan, machinery shares gained after December core machinery orders fell less than expected, with Fanuc gaining 4% and Komatsu rising 2.6%.
But brokerage Nomura Holdings fell 14% after it said it may raise up to 300 billion yen ($3.3 billion U.S.) as it struggles with volatile markets and the cost of absorbing former Lehman Brothers employees.
In Australia, Rio Tinto jumped 5.7%, briefly hitting a three-month high, as the company considers an asset sale to an Asian partner. Other commodity producers rose, with BHP Billiton up 3.4%, helped by stronger base-metal prices.
Suncorp Metway shares sank 26% after it said last week that interim profit could fall as much as 45% on year, that it would slash dividends, and that its chief executive would leave.
Insurance Australia Group was down 9.5% after wild fires claimed more than 100 lives in Victoria state at the weekend, the worst bush fires in the nation's history.
Financial and technology stocks were mixed in Korea with Hynix Semiconductor up 0.8% after saying it had developed the world's highest-density memory chip using the thinnest process technology. Samsung Electronics though fell 3.3%.
Ssangyong Motor fell almost 15% after a Seoul-based court said Friday it had approved a request by the company to enter into receivership.
Taiwan technology stocks continued their rally from last week with AU Optronics up 3.4% and Hon Hai Precision up 1.4%.
Elsewhere:
Singapore’s Straits Times Index dropped 33.01 points or 1.9%, to close at 1,682.34
Taiwan’s Taiex Index advanced 23.34 points or 2.48%, to close at 4,494.59
South Korea’s Kospi skidded 7.57 points or 0.6% to 1,202.69
New Zealand’s NZX 50 Index lost 6.94 points or 0.3% to 2,766.56.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index was ahead 38.70 points or 1.1% to 3,508.60
