September 07, 2006	Thursday	Sha'aban 13, 1427

HONG KONG, Sept 6: Asian stocks closed mostly lower on Wednesday as investors continued to take profits on recent gains after Wall Street's indifferent performance provided no lead, dealers said.

Sydney was hard hit by unexpected second quarter data showing the economy slowing sharply, news which may give wider pause for thought given the dent made in generally optimistic forecasts about Australian prospects.

TOKYO: Japanese share prices closed 0.62 per cent lower, easing off recent three-and-a-half-month highs as investors pocketed profits on recent gains, dealers said.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange's benchmark Nikkei-225 index fell 101.87 points to 16,284.09, a day after hitting the highest closing level since May 15. The broader TOPIX index of all first-section stocks fell 8.53 points or 0.52 percent to 1,642.82.

Losers beat gainers 1,062 to 516, with 119 stocks unchanged. Volume rose to 1.91 billion shares from 1.77 billion on Tuesday.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong share prices closed sharply lower, shedding 1.03 per cent, as investors stepped up profit-taking amid a lack of fresh leads as the earnings season winds down, dealers said.

SYDNEY: Australian share prices closed 0.71 per cent lower following June quarter growth figures that were much weaker than expected, dealers said.

SINGAPORE: Singapore share prices closed 0.27 per cent higher, with investor sentiment bouyed by an upbeat outlook for the local economy, dealers said.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian share prices closed 0.77 per cent lower with investors sidelined in the absence of fresh leads, dealers said.

JAKARTA: Indonesian share prices closed 0.29 per cent firmer as gains in select large caps such as Telkom and Bank Rakyat Indonesia helped the market into positive territory, dealers said.

WELLINGTON: New Zealand share prices fell 0.45 per cent, with market leader Telecom dominating trade and dragging the benchmark index lower, dealers said.

MUMBAI: Indian share prices closed 0.24 per cent higher in choppy trade as the benchmark Sensex index edged closer to the key 12,000 points level, dealers said.—AFP