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HONG KONG, April 18: Asian stocks closed mixed on Wednesday with investors continuing to consolidate positions despite sharp gains on Wall Street overnight amid an easing of jitters over interest rates.
The Dow Jones made solid gains on corporate earnings and the release of inflation data which showed core inflation was running within comfort levels and this got Asia Pacific markets off to a positive start.
However, elsewhere investors were content to continue cashing-up on recent sharp gains and Singapore fell 0.44 per cent, Bangkok shed 0.40 per cent, Jakarta down 0.29 perc ent, Kuala Lumpur by 0.12 per cent and Manila fell 0.69 per cent.
TOKYO: Share prices closed up 0.80 per cent as bargain hunters emerged after the Dow Jones flirted with an all-time record high overnight following upbeat earnings news. The Nikkei-225 index advanced 139.88 points to 17,667.33.
There was bargain-hunting interest after (Tuesday's) falls, which occurred despite rises in US shares on the previous day, said Tatsuo Kurokawa, chief technical analyst at Japan Asia Research Institute.
Investors reacted more briskly to lower share prices than to a firmer yen, added Kurokawa.
HONG KONG: Share prices closed flat as the market went into consolidation mode after gaining nearly 450 points in the last two sessions.
The Hang Seng Index closed down 11.52 points at 20,777.09. Turnover was 59.81 billion Hong Kong dollars (7.7 billion US).
SINGAPORE: Share prices closed 0.44 per cent lower as investors consolidated their positions.
The Straits Times Index closed down 14.91 points at 3,400.41, on volume of 3.72 billion shares worth 2.79 billion dollars (1.85 billion US).
KUALA LUMPUR: Share prices closed 0.12 per cent lower after late buying in major blue-chips trimmed earlier losses.
The composite index was down 1.63 points at 1,328.63. Trading volume was 1.97 billion shares, valued at 2.98 billion ringgit (876 million dollars).
The local bourse was now in a new upward phase after the bourse breached the previous high of 1,332 points, with the market likely to resume its uptrend soon, dealers said.
JAKARTA: Share prices closed 0.29 per cent lower on profit-taking in selected large companies including Telkom and Perusahaan Gas Negara.
However, dealers said gains in automaker Astra International, on optimism about its car sales prospects in the second quarter, as well as strength in some secondliners, limited the market's fall.
The composite index closed down 5.761 points at 1,959.677. Volume was 4.45 billion shares valued at 4.03 trillion rupiah (443.34 million dollars).
WELLINGTON: Share prices closed 0.39 per cent higher, with local investors taking their lead from solid gains on overseas markets.
Dealers said sentiment was boosted after the Australian market hit a record high.
The NZX-50 gross index rose 16.56 points to 4,193.57 on turnover worth 117.4 million dollars (87.7 million US).
MUMBAI: Share prices gained 0.48 per cent on select buying in index and mid-cap stocks and on expectations of strong earnings from some of India's leading software exporters.
The 30-share Mumbai Sensex rose 65.15 points to 13,672.19.
Telecom stocks rose on improved monthly subscription data while buying was seen in banking and select software stocks.
We saw select buying in rangebound trade after sharp gains in previous days. Investors will watch earnings data from Wipro and Satyam before deciding on fresh buying positions, said Advait Date, with brokerage BHH Securities.—AFP
