Asian stock markets end lower, JSX mixed

Asian stock markets end lower, JSX mixed

HONG KONG (AP): Most Asian stock markets ended lower Thursday on a combination of Wall Street's overnight slide, the weakening U.S. dollar and interest rate worries.

Japanese stocks fell sharply as investor sentiment worsened amid the U.S. dollar's slide against the yen.

The benchmark 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average plunged 485.63 points, or 2.73 percent, to close at 17,291.59. On Tuesday, the average closed down 132.07 points, or 0.74 percent.

Financial markets in Tokyo had been closed Wednesday for a national holiday, while a severe typhoon forced the closure of Hong Kong markets Thursday.

In Seoul, prices on the Korea Stock Exchange plunged 3.8 percent on fears that local interest rates might rise further. The Kospi index shed 36.53 points to 916.16.

Singapore prices fell on the weakness throughout the region. The benchmark Straits Times Index fell 30.74 points, or 1.5 percent, to 2,089.84.

In currency trading, the dollar bought 104.99 yen in late afternoon trading, down 1.57 yen from late Tuesday in Tokyo but above its late New York level of 104.23 yen on Wednesday.

In Bangkok, blue chips dropped 2 percent as the Thai baht fell to a 12-month low against the U.S. dollar. The index of the Stock Exchange of Thailand fell 8.70 points to 429.89.

In Jakarta, Indonesian shares ended mixed, with last-minute bargain hunting on select blue chips barely pulling the key index out of negative territory. The JSX Composite Index edged up 0.14 point to end at 548.756.

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian share prices closed slightly lower. The Composite Index closed at 711.25 points, down 6.49 points, or 0.9 percent.

In Manila, Philippine stocks fell, with many blue chips knocked lower by Wall Street's losses. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index closed down 3.87 points, or 0.2 percent, at 2,070.21.

In Sydney, the Australian share market closed broadly lower, led by industrial stocks that fell in response to losses in New York and Tokyo. The All Ordinaries finished at 2,904.8, down 33.3 points, or 1.1 percent.

In Taipei, Taiwan shares ended marginally down after the typhoon-forced closure of Hong Kong markets kept foreign investors away from Taipei, too. The Weighted Price Index of the Taiwan Stock Exchange shed 2.14 points, or 0.02 percent, to close at 7,968.90.

In Wellington, New Zealand shares prices closed lower, pulled down for the second straight session by a dive in the share price of market heavyweight Telecom Corp. of New Zealand Ltd. The benchmark NZSE-40 Capital Index closed 12.09 points, or 0.6 percent, lower at 2,083.62.