Tokyo tumbled 1.39% to 15,095 points yesterday as the strong yen hit exporters.
AFP/Tokyo
Asian markets were mostly lower yesterday following losses on Wall Street fuelled by anaemic US consumer spending, while the dollar and euro extended losses against the yen.
Investors were taking a breather ahead of the release next week of key economic data, including on global manufacturing activity, US jobs and Japanese business confidence.
Tokyo tumbled 1.39%, or 213.49 points, to 15,095 as the strong yen hit exporters, Sydney fell 0.35%, or 19.2 points, to close at 5,445.1 and Seoul slipped 0.33%, or 6.54 points, to 1,988.51.
Shanghai closed 0.11% lower, giving up 2.17 points to 2,036.51 but Hong Kong reversed earlier losses to finish 0.10% higher, adding 23.69 points to 23,221.52.
In other markets, Bangkok added 0.39% or 5.76 points to close at 1,483.24; Bank of Ayudhya gained 7.43% to 47baht, while coal producer Banpu rose 1.72% to 29.50 baht.
Jakarta slipped 0.56%, or 27.29 points, to 4,845.13; palm oil producer Astra Agro Lestari fell 2.05% to 28,700 rupiah, while car maker Astra International gained 1.73% to 7,350 rupiah.
Kuala Lumpur fell 0.48%, or 9.04 points, to 1,880.93; Public Bank lost 1.5% to 19.60 ringgit, while Axiata Group shed 0.1% to 6.97. Planation giant Sime Darby rose 0.1% to 9.67 ringgit. Manila closed 0.73% lower, easing 50.03 points to 6,842.15; Ayala Land slipped 1.75% to 30.85 pesos, SM Prime Holdings was 2.9% lower at 15.92 pesos and SM Investments fell 2.46% to 811.50 pesos.
Singapore rose 0.23%, or 7.52 points, to 3,271.05; oil rig maker Keppel Corp gained 0.19% to Sg$10.81 while DBS Bank eased 0.30% to Sg$16.81.
Taipei fell 0.15%, or 14.11 points, to 9,306.83; Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co rose 0.8% to Tw$125.5 while Acer slipped 1.85% to Tw$21.2.
Wellington added 0.27%, or 14.09 points, to 5,144.25 but trading was curtailed by a technical glitch; Telecom was up 0.93% at NZ$2.72 and Freightways was unchanged on NZ$5.11.
In New York, the three main indexes ended lower Thursday after the government released figures showing consumer spending—which accounts for more than two-thirds of US economic activity—rose just 0.2% in May after a flat April.
The figures came a day after news that the economy shrank a lot more than first thought in January-March, leading to worries that a recovery is still fragile.
The Dow eased 0.13% and the S&P 500 dipped 0.12%, having both touched record highs at the end of last week. The Nasdaq was flat.
On currency markets the dollar, which sank in New York after the weak spending data, fell further in Tokyo.