Asian markets end mostly lower<\/p>\n
Agencies, Hong Kong\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Tokyo and Hong Kong shares on Wednesday were pulled down by the
\ndecline on Wall Street, with most markets in the region following
\nsuit and finishing lower.<\/p>\n
Japan's Nikkei Stock Average of 225 selected issues dropped
\n30.41 points, or 0.3 percent, to 11,005.42. The index lost 37.94
\npoints, or 0.3 percent, on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Traders took cues from Wall Street's poor showing and a gloomy
\noutlook from German chipmaker Infineon Technologies AG. In New
\nYork, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 91.34, or 0.9
\npercent, to 10,151.13 on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Among chipmakers, NEC Electronics Corp. fell 3.7 percent after
\nreporting poor earnings late Tuesday. Elpida Memory Inc. shed 2.4
\npercent, and Tokyo Electron Ltd. slipped 2.2 percent.<\/p>\n
Other semiconductor-related issues like Advantest Corp. and
\nTokyo Electron Ltd. edged down.<\/p>\n
In the larger tech sector, TDK Corp. and Canon Inc. also
\nclosed down, but Sony Corp. and Kyocera Corp. gained.<\/p>\n
In Hong Kong, the share market snapped a six session winning
\nstreak as traders cashed in recent gains after U.S. stocks
\nslipped.<\/p>\n
The blue-chip Hang Seng Index fell 19.94 points, or 0.1
\npercent, to 13,839.64. On Tuesday, the Hang Seng climbed 109.35
\npoints, or 0.8 percent.<\/p>\n
In Singapore, Singapore's shares were dragged down by the
\ndecline of U.S. markets. The Straits Times Index dipped 4.30
\npoints, or 0.2 percent, to 2145.34.<\/p>\n
In Seoul, South Korean shares were hurt by the drop in U.S.
\nmarkets. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, fell
\n14.30 points, or 1.5 percent, at 930.16.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, Indonesian shares ended flat on Wednesday, with
\nrebounds in Bank Mandiri and nickel miner International Nickel
\nIndonesia keeping the main index in positive territory, dealers
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Overall sentiment, however, remained cautious following
\ndeclines in most Asian markets due to Wall Street's overnight
\nlosses, they added.<\/p>\n
\"There was nothing much going on here,\" said a trader with a
\nlocal securities firm.<\/p>\n
He said many investors stayed on the sidelines due to an
\nabsence of fresh leads.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Stock Exchange Composite Index edged up 0.45 point
\nto 1032.22.<\/p>\n
Gainers led decliners 64 to 49, with 64 stocks unchanged.<\/p>\n
Volume was 1.25 billion shares valued at Rp 1.4 trillion,
\ncompared with 1.6 billion shares valued at Rp 1.7 trillion on
\nTuesday.<\/p>\n
Bank Mandiri, the nation's largest lender by assets, gained
\n3.5 percent to Rp 1,470 on a rebound after falling sharply
\nearlier this week due to a corruption investigation into the
\nbank's lending practices.<\/p>\n
International Nickel Indonesia, or Inco, jumped 4.2 percent to
\nRp 13,700 on a rebound and as the company plans to invest $280
\nmillion to develop its business this year.<\/p>\n
Among other gainers, Astra International rose 0.5 percent to
\nRp 10,700 on expectations of solid first-quarter earnings.<\/p>\n
On the downside, bellwether Telekomunikasi Indonesia fell 1.1
\npercent to Rp 3,325 after its American Depositary Receipts fell
\n0.3 percent.<\/p>\n
Dealers expect the market to trade higher on Thursday on
\nfurther buying in bank blue chips.<\/p>\n
In Bangkok meanwhile, Thai shares ended slightly up in a
\ntechnical rebound. The Stock Exchange of Thailand Index finished
\n2.50 points, or 0.4 percent higher, at 664.63.<\/p>",
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