HONG KONG, Oct 11: Asian stocks closed mixed on Wednesday after a false alarm over a second nuclear test by North Korea rattled investors and offset positive sentiment from another record close on Wall Street overnight.
As the reports proved unfounded the markets recovered from earlier sharp losses but the damage had been done on the day with Seoul closing 0.20 per cent lower while Tokyo fell 0.47 per cent and Singapore eased 0.23 per cent.
TOKYO: Share prices lost ground as investors opted to lock in profits after the market hit a five-month high as by reports of a second North Korean nuclear test unnerved sentiment.
Dealers said the Japanese television reports, which later appeared to have been a false alert, offset an early boost from a steady performance on Wall Street overnight and a weaker yen against the dollar.
A drop in oil prices also hit commodity-linked issues.
The Nikkei-225 index closed down 76.68 points or 0.47 percent at 16,400.57, a day after its best finish since May 15. Volume rose to 1.90 billion shares from 1.69 billion on Tuesday.
HONG KONG: Share prices closed higher as China Mobile and some blue chip laggards attracted follow-through interest after yesterday's recovery.
Chief Executive Donald Tsang's policy address did not have much impact on the market, though a proposal to encourage more stock market listings here by foreign companies provided some psychological support.
The Hang Seng Index closed up 39.09 points at 17,862.79 on turnover of 33.88 billion Hong Kong dollars (4.34 billion US dollars).
SYDNEY: Share prices closed 0.65 per cent higher, with financial services, banking and resource sector gains bringing the bourse closer to May's record levels.
Dealers said retailers also advanced after an October consumer sentiment survey showed falling petrol prices had added to September's solid pick-up while an expected relaxation in media ownership rules boosted select media stocks.
The SP/ASX 200 advanced 34.2 points to 5,282.8. Turnover was 1.30 billion shares worth 4.45 billion dollars (3.31 billion US).
SINGAPORE: Share prices closed 0.23 percent lower on jitters over North Korea but dealers said gains on Wall Street, where the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached another record high, limited the market's downside.
The Straits Times index closed down 6.05 points at 2,641.61 on volume of 1.32 billion shares worth 1.13 billion Singapore dollars (715 million US).
KUALA LUMPUR: Share prices closed flat amid some profit-taking as investors wound down their positions ahead of holidays due next week.
The composite index closed up 0.66 points at 970.37. Trading volume was 698 million shares valued at 854 million ringgit (244 million dollars).
JAKARTA: Share prices closed 0.12 per cent lower on profit-taking after investors cashed in gains made in the market's run up to a fresh record closing high Tuesday.
The composite index closed down 1.798 points at 1,553.119. Volume was 1.9 billion shares worth 2.0 trillion rupiah (217 million dollars).
WELLINGTON: Share prices closed 0.50 per cent higher with attention focussed on Port of Tauranga after news of a potential merger.
The NZX-50 gross index rose 18.13 points to 3,614.24 on turnover worth 139.7 million dollars (92.0 million US).
MUMBAI: Share prices closed broadly flat for a third day, shedding early gains on profit-taking after a rally led by better-than expected Infosys profits.—AFP