Tokyo loses while Asian markets recover

Asian markets were generally higher in Thursday trading after overcoming losses earlier in the day.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index was 0.7 percent higher, closing at 13,597.31, as retailers saw generally positive activity.

Taipei was up by 0.5 percent, to finish the day at 5,721.99. In Seoul, the weighted index finished up 0.2 percent at 939.14 after a period of losses.

Concerns about inflation in the United States were a factor in Tokyo, as was a report from the Japanese Ministry of Finance that foreign investors had sold ¥126 billion in Japanese stocks over the week ending April 16, after a week of net buying the previous week.

Accordingly, Tokyo markets saw a down day Thursday, as the Nikkei 225 ended down by 0.9 percent at 10,984.39 and the Topix was 0.7 percent lower at 1,123.32.

Earlier in the day, the Nikkei had been down to 10,770.58, its lowest point since mid-December. Declines were prevalent on the Tokyo markets, and included the precision machinery, construction, shipping, toy making, and electronics sectors.

Story link: Tokyo loses while Asian markets recover