Asian Shares Fall; Europe Shares Higher
Updated from 4:26 a.m. EST
NEW YORK (
) -- Asian stocks closed lower Monday, with Japanese shares falling to a two-month low on continued European debt concerns and a stronger yen.
The Nikkei 225 stock average in Tokyo fell 1.1% to 9,951.82, its first finish under 10,000 since Dec. 10. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong dipped 0.6%.
In China, Shanghai's benchmark index fell slightly by 0.3% on light volume ahead of a weeklong holiday. Like the rest of Asia, China pondered how debt-laden European countries such as Greece, Spain and Portugal would fund their deficits and how Wall Street would react.
Toyota
(TM) - Get Free Report
resumed its losing ways, falling 1.1% on reports the world's top automaker would
recall the gas-electric Prius hybrid
because of braking problems.
At 5:50 a.m., European shares were higher, with stocks in London up 0.3% and Frankfurt shares gaining 0.4%. The European bourses have come off their highs of the day.
-- Reported by Joseph Woelfel in New York.
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