Asian stock markets mostly down

Asian stock markets mostly down

HONG KONG (Reuter): Asia's stock markets ended mostly down yesterday in featureless trade with major bourses Tokyo and Hong Kong barely changed from opening levels, brokers said.

Local news grabbed most of the headlines with Taipei down as investors reacted with disappointment to the central bank's cuts in banks' reserve requirements while former South Korea president Roh Tae-woo's widening slush fund scandal continued to pressure stocks.

The Seoul index fell 5.05 points to 987.72.

Tokyo stocks ended barely changed, with the Nikkei average falling 15.75 points, or 0.09 percent, to 18,021.22.

Hong Kong stocks also ended near where they began with the blue chip Hang Seng index easing 3.69 points to 9,732.41.

Taiwan's share price index ended down 37.40 points or 0.77 percent at 4,825.19.

The SET index in Bangkok rose 2.33 points to 1,241.24 on thin turnover of around two billion baht.

Sydney's All-Ordinaries index ended 3.0 points up at 2,109.80.

Share prices in Kuala Lumpur fell 8.70 points to 918.59, while Singapore lost 6.21 points to 2,089.60 as shipper Sembawang Corp continued to see selling pressure.

The Jakarta composite index rose 0.89 points, or 0.18 percent, to close at 489.91.

Manila ended slightly higher on late technical buying, with the key index rising 9.52 points to 2,469.87.

In Bombay, the 30-share BSE index was down 43.52 points at 3,425.88. The 100-stock National index dropped 11.76 points to 1,556.17.

In Paris, the CAC-40 share index had jumped 33.40 points to 1,856.304

The Financial Times-Stock Exchange index of 100 leading British shares was up 7.8 points at 3,522.6.

Frankfurt's 30-share DAX index was 7.96 ahead at 2,173.75.