HONG KONG, April 11: Asian stocks closed mixed on Wednesday with the broad tone remaining positive after slight gains on Wall Street overnight helped Seoul, Jakarta and Shanghai to close at record highs.
However, most markets were also consolidating in the wake of sharp gains and ahead of further economic indicators due out of the United States, the region's largest market for exports, later in the week.
This was typified in Tokyo, Sydney, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Mumbai where all five benchmarks ended the day flat.
Elsewhere, Bangkok was among the standouts with 0.82 per cent surge amid support for its oil sector, Taipei was up 0.45 per cent and Hong Kong gained 0.82 per cent.
TOKYO: Share prices closed almost flat as worries about domestic corporate capital spending offset a positive lead from Wall Street.
The Nikkei-225 index rose 5.38 points to 17,670.07. Volume slipped to 1.81 billion shares from 1.99 billion on Tuesday.
On Wall Street shares closed slightly higher Tuesday as the first quarter earnings season began, but dealers in Tokyo remained cautious after a bigger-than-expected 5.2 per cent fall in Japanese machinery orders in February.
HONG KONG: Share prices closed 0.50 per cent higher as another record finish on China's A-share bourses helped the market reverse modest losses earlier due to profit-taking.
China stocks, notably financials, led the gains while local property plays and blue chips were weak ahead of the release of US Federal Reserve meeting minutes later Wednesday and key US inflation data in the next few days.
The Hang Seng Index closed up 101.56 points at 20,449.43. Turnover was 59.07 billion Hong Kong dollars (7.6 billion US).
SYDNEY: Share prices closed flat as late profit-taking weighed on positive investor sentiment.
The SP/ASX 200 closed down 1.6 points at 6,151.4. A total of 1.88 billion shares worth 6.4 billion dollars (5.3 billion US) were traded.
Reynolds and Co private client advisor Michael Heffernan said solid buying of mining giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto kept the market supported as it flirted with deeper negative territory around midday.
SINGAPORE: Share prices closed steady near record highs after recovering from intraday losses. The Straits Times Index fell 2.0 points to 3,420.62. Volume totalled 3.07 billion shares worth 2.29 billion Singapore dollars (1.51 billion US).
KUALA LUMPUR: Share prices closed flat with investors cautious ahead of the first quarter earnings season in the United States.
Dealers said the market saw late profit-taking in selected blue chips after the recent rally, but plantation stocks extended their gains given the sector's bullish outlook.
JAKARTA: Share prices closed 0.29 per cent higher with the main index at a fresh all-time intraday high amid gains in selected bluechips.
The composite index closed up 5.573 points at 1,931.044. Volume was 2.74 billion shares worth 3.9 trillion rupiah (428.81 million dollars).
WELLINGTON: Share prices closed 0.80 per cent lower as the prospect of further interest rate rises dampened sentiment.
Dealers said possible factors in the fall of leading stocks were a lull in corporate news and the spectre of another interest rate rise.
The NZX-50 gross index fell 33.11 points to 4,147.36 on turnover worth 133.5 million dollars (97.6 million US).
MUMBAI: Share prices edged lower, snapping five straight days of gains, as buyers turned cautious ahead of the earnings season which kicks off Friday.
Dealers said investors will await direction from earnings and guidance from software export heavyweight Infosys Technologies on Friday.
The benchmark 30-share Mumbai stock exchange Sensex fell 6.30 points or 0.05 per cent to 13,183.24 in choppy trade.—AFP
