Asia markets variable

Asian markets were mixed Wednesday as oil prices and concerns about growth in China caused worries that were not allayed by Intel’s positive quarterly earnings report.

In Shanghai, the composite index closed down 1.3 percent at 1,184.19. In Taipei the good news from Intel did not effect the technology sector; the weighted index closed 1 percent lower at 5,693.01.

The composite index in Seoul rose 0.5 percent to 937.36. Bangkok’s SET index rose 0.9 percent to 684.19 when Thailand’s central bank left interest rates the same. In Manila, bargain hunting pushed the composite index up 1.1 percent to 1,854.97.

In Tokyo, meanwhile, markets were also mixed. The Nikkei 225 average rose 0.2 percent to 11,088.58 and the Topix index rose 0.4 percent to 1,131.53.

Japan Airlines continued to rebound with a 0.3 percent rise, while All Nippon Airways closed unchanged. In the technology sector Sony was down by 1 percent, but Cannon was up 0.7 percent, Matsushita gained 1.2 percent, and Advantest ended the day up 0.1 percent after being up 2.2 percent earlier in the day.

Tokyo Electron posted a 1 percent gain after reporting a 16 percent rise in quarterly orders.

Story link: Asia markets variable