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HONG KONG, March 2: Asian stocks closed mostly higher on Thursday following a sharp overnight gain on Wall Street where bargain hunters moved in after a sharp sell-off, dealers said.
They said Mumbai, which struck a fresh record close, had also benefited from the signing of an India-US civilian nuclear deal by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President George W. Bush.
Sydney was among the best performers with a 1.1 per cent rise while more modest gains were registered in Jakarta, Hong Kong, Taipei and Wellington.
TOKYO: Share prices ended lower as investors turned cautious ahead of key domestic consumer inflation data that could pave the way for a monetary tightening here.
The Nikkei-225 index fell 54.70 points or 0.34 per cent to 15,909.76 on turnover of 1.79 billion shares.
Among steelmakers, JFE Holdings dropped 160 yen to 4,180 after it cut its operating profit forecast for the current fiscal year, blaming a downturn in production volumes amid sluggish export demand.
HONG KONG: Share prices closed 0.41 per cent higher following a rebound on Wall Street overnight and on hopes that HSBC’s annual results next week will push the market above the key 16,000 points level.
SYDNEY: Share prices closed 1.1 per cent higher as investors came back into the market in search of bargains after a two day sell-off.
The SP/ASX 200 rose 53.2 points to 4,903.8. A total of 1.34 billion shares worth 4.0bn dollars (3.0bn US) changed hands.
SINGAPORE: Shares prices closed 0.1 per cent lower on profit-taking in selected blue chip stocks, despite solid overnight gains on Wall Street.
However, dealers said the flat performance mirrored the region which closed mixed as local factors, including the prospect of higher interest rates, weighed on sentiment.
The Straits Times Index fell 2.37 points to 2,480.30. Volume totalled 1.57bn shares worth 1.44bn Singapore dollars (US$889m).
Blue chips closed mainly lower with Singapore Airlines falling 0.30 to 14.20, Keppel Corp dropping 0.20 to 13.60, and shipping giant Neptune Orient Lines shedding 0.13 to 2.25.
KUALA LUMPUR: Share prices closed 0.19 per cent lower with concerns over rising inflation offsetting the positive impact from Wall Street’s gains.
JAKARTA: Share prices closed 0.84 per cent higher, driven by Telkom and Antam as foreign investor interest picked up but profit-taking in gas distributor Perusahaan Gas Negara trimmed gains.
WELLINGTON: Share prices closed 0.30pc higher in lacklustre trade focussed on large deals by two property trusts.
Trading in MGP was suspended until next week.The NZSX-50 gross index rose 10.24 points to 3,407.33 on turnover worth 223.4 million New Zealand dollars (148.5 million US).
MUMBAI: Share prices closed up 0.58 per cent to a fourth-straight record led by infrastructure and auto companies as a India-US civilian nuclear deal was signed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President George W. Bush.—AFP
