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.