HONG KONG, Aug 4: Asian stocks closed mostly down on Monday after poor US jobs data and Wall Street weakness hit sentiment, with China sliding amid reports of a suspected terror attack in its northwest.

The Chinese market shed more than two per cent, as state media said the attack Monday killed 16 policemen in China’s Muslim-majority Xinjiang, raising security fears four days before the Beijing Olympics.

Sixteen others were injured in one of the deadliest reported attacks in China in years, damaging hopes for a stock market boost from a “feel-good”factor ahead of the Games.

Investors are waiting for another batch of corporate earnings results due this week, including from Toyota Motor Corp. on Thursday.

TOKYO: Japanese share prices closed down 1.23 per cent, dealers said.The Tokyo Stock Exchange’s benchmark Nikkei-225 index slid 161.41 points to 12,933.18, the lowest close since July 18.

The broader Topix index of all first-section shares declined 24.68 points or 1.94 per cent to 1,248.25.

Nissan Motor Co. lost 4.8 per cent to 788 yen after reporting its net profit tumbled 42.8 per cent in the fiscal first quarter.

Toyota Motor declined 3.3 per cent to 4,460 yen, Honda Motor tumbled 5.7 per cent to 3,280 and Mazda Motor plunged 8.8 per cent to 552.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong share prices closed down 1.5 per cent, dealer said.

The Hang Seng index shed 347.68 points to 22,514.92 on volume of 49.1 billion Hong Kong dollars (6.3 billion US).

The US data showed a rise in joblessness, stoking fears for consumer spending in the world’s biggest economy.

HSBC said net profit tumbled to 7.722 billion dollars in the first half of the year amid the ongoing worldwide credit squeeze. HSBC Holdings closed unchanged at 129.40 dollars ahead of the profits statement.

SYDNEY: Australian share prices closed down 0.33 per cent, dealers said.

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index dropped 16.3 points to 4,887.7, while the broader All Ordinaries fell 20.4 points to 4,957.6.

A total of 842.57 million shares worth 3.09 billion Australian dollars (2.88 billion US) changed hands.

Rio Tinto lost 3.50 dollars to 118.10, while fellow mining giant BHP Billiton fell 76 cents to 38.35.

SINGAPORE: Singapore share prices closed 1.03 per cent lower, dealers said.

The blue-chip Straits Times Index was down 29.99 points at 2,876.08. Volume was 1.03 billion Singapore dollars (757 million US).

Good results from the banks will help turn the index around, and depending on what the US Federal Reserve says later this week, things could get better,a trader said.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian share prices closed 0.9 per cent lower, dealers said.

The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index shed 10.42 points to close at 1,148.68.

Sentiment was generally very weak in the absence of any positive catalysts, one dealer told Dow Jones Newswires.

JAKARTA: Indonesian shares slipped 1.0 per cent, dealers said.

The Jakarta Composite Index fell 21.08 points to 2,227.67.

Selling in commodity-related stocks has driven the main index lower despite bargain buying in select telecommunication and bank blue-chips, a trader told Dow Jones Newswires.

WELLINGTON: New Zealand share prices closed up 0.5 per cent, dealers said.

The benchmark NZX-50 index was up 16.06 points to 3,319.22. Rising stocks outnumbered falling 59 to 33.

New Zealand is one of the few markets in the world that is up, said Grant Taylor at Goldman Sachs JBWere.

MUMBAI: Indian shares fell 0.54 per cent, dealers said.

The benchmark 30-share Sensex index fell 78.82 points to 14,577.87.—AFP