Asian Markets Update: Tokyo Slides Into Long Weekend
TOKYO -- Asian equity markets ended Thursday mixed, as Taipei and Seoul booked gains and Tokyo finished in negative territory ahead of a three-day weekend.
Japanese investors remained on the sidelines, not wanting to stir things up too much before markets close Friday for a holiday. The
Nikkei 225
closed down 34.6 points, or 0.2%, at 14,837.8, but the
Topix
index, which includes all shares listed on the
Tokyo Stock Exchange
, rose 6.1, or 0.4%, to 1424.5.
Video-game maker
Sega
(SEGNY)
tanked 775 yen, or 6.5%, to 775 ($7.16), after announcing it would shift focus to software from its troubled hardware operations. Rival
Sony
fell 260 yen, or 2.8%, to 8,990.
Telcos had a mixed day, with
TheStreet Recommends
Nippon Telegraph & Telephone
(NTT)
closing down 10,000 yen, or 1%, to 1.01 million and wireless operator
NTT DoCoMo
(NTDMY)
ending up 40,000 yen, or 1.4%, at 2.96 million.
The dollar traded at 108.23 yen, down from 109.16 yen Wednesday.
Elsewhere, Hong Kong's
Hang Seng
index fell 57.5, or 0.4%, to close at 15,291.5, as
China Mobile
(CHL) - Get China Mobile Ltd. Report
fell HK$0.90, or 1.8%, to 49.60 ($6.36) and
Pacific Century CyberWorks
(PCW)
dropped HK$0.25, or 4.2%, to 5.75.
On the positive side, South Korea's
Kospi
index rose 9.3, or 1.7%, to 558.1, as tech and telecom shares performed well. Taiwan's
TWSE
index also rose, surging 201.1, or 3.7%, to 5626.1, after getting hammered in recent days.
