HONG KONG, May 15: Asian stocks closed lower on Tuesday with a mixed performance on Wall Street providing investors with an excuse to cash-up on recent sharp gains that had delivered many benchmarks to record highs.
Of markets that have traded at or near record highs, Seoul slumped 1.02 per cent, Sydney fell 0.85 per cent, Singapore shed 0.74 per cent, Jakarta eased 0.31 per cent, Kuala Lumpur fell 0.99 per cent and Wellington shed 0.57 per cent.
TOKYO: Share prices closed down 0.93 per cent after an unexpected drop in machinery orders, a closely watched measure of corporate spending, unsettled investors.
HONG KONG: Share prices closed 0.53 per cent lower as investors took quick profits from Monday's rally and after the benchmark index briefly touched an all-time high.
SYDNEY: Shares prices closed 0.85 per cent lower after profit taking in the resources sector and a mixed performance from Wall Street overnight provided no lead.
SINGAPORE: Share prices closed 0.74 per cent lower as investors cashed in recent gains after touching a new record high.
KUALA LUMPUR: Share prices closed 0.99 per cent lower as investors continued to cash in on earlier gains in the absence of fresh domestic leads.
JAKARTA: Share prices closed 0.31 per cent lower on profit-taking, with weakness in regional markets undermining local market sentiment.
WELLINGTON: Share prices fell 0.57 per cent, following falls in key regional markets.
The NZX-50 gross index fell 24.16 points to 4,214.78 on turnover worth 119.1 million dollars (87.8 million US).
MUMBAI: Share prices fell 0.26 pc on weak global trends and selling pressure in software stocks. The Sensex fell 36.53 points to 13,929.33.—AFP
