Share prices mostly higher on major markets

TOKYO (AFP): Share prices closed moderately lower here yesterday in the absence of incentives, with investors carefully watching US interest rates.

The Nikkei Stock Average of 225 selected issues in the first section closed 82.31 points or 0.4 percent lower at 20,188.44. The index gained 46.51 points the previous trading day.

The broader-based Tokyo Stock Price Index of all issues in the section, which closed 1.36 points lower on Friday, lost 4.19 points at 1,639.01.

In Hong Kong, stock prices rose 1.3 percent in mixed trading despite concerns over US interest rate hikes with the blue-chip Hang Seng Index gaining 118.69 points to close the day's trading at 9,253.41.

Turnover amounted to HK$4.03 billion (US$518 million), down from Friday's HK$5.02 billion.

In Singapore, share prices closed marginally higher with dealers discounting the impact of a further rise in U.S. interest rates.

The blue-chip Straits Times Industrials index gained 4.29 points to close at 2,290.41 while the broader-based SES All- Singapore index inched up 1.56 points to 568.29.

Turnover was 74.49 million units valued at S$201.15 million ($129.77 million) compared to Friday's 100.53 million units worth S$264.95 million.

In Bangkok, impressive first-quarter results from most listed companies on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) catapulted the index 31.67 points or 2.52 percent to close at 1,290.84, brokers said.

Trading was moderate with 108.6 million shares worth 7.9 billion baht ($316 million) changing hands. That was nearly double Friday's volume of 60.6 million shares worth 4.7 billion baht.

In Sydney, the market indicator, the All Ordinaries index, closed 40.9 points higher, or 1.98 percent, at 2110.9 -- its highest close since 2114.7 on April 13.

Volumes totaled 227.5 million shares, valued at A$543.5 million ($391.2 million) with rises outnumbering falls by nearly two to one.

The All Resources ended 43.3 points firmer at 1338.8 and the All Industrials closed 39.6 points up at 3134.4.

On the first day of a new account in London, the FT-SE 100 index of leading shares rose by 10.6 points to 3,129.8 by mid morning for an increase of 0.3 percent.

In Paris, shares were higher as the market appeared less worried about a potential rise in US interest rates at the meeting of the Federal Reserve policy-making Open Markets Committee. The CAC-40 index rose by 0.58 percent.