Tokyo Shares Lead Regional Decline
Asian markets ended mostly lower Monday, with Japanese stocks leading the decline on concerns the economy may be decelerating. Hong Kong shares fell as property companies weighed on the market.
Japanese stocks fell, led by banks, machinery stocks and commodity-related issues ahead of July-September gross domestic product data due Tuesday, which is widely expected to show softening economic growth.
The Nikkei 225 Index shed 0.6% to finish at 16022.49. The broader Topix Index fell 0.8% to 1568.76 -- the index's seventh session of drops and its longest losing streak since May 2005.
Stocks started lower, led by declines in machinery stocks that followed weaker-than-expected machinery data released Friday. Core machinery orders fell 7.4% in September. (See related article.)
Traders were also cautious ahead of Tuesday's July-September GDP data. Commodity and domestic demand issues fell in early trading. "In the short-term, figures suggest the economy is slowing down," said Trevor Hill of head of client trading and execution at UBS.
Mizuho Financial Group posted a 2.1% fall and Shinsei Bank lost 2.6%. Nippon Oil shed 0.98% and trading company Itochu sank 3.2%. Major machinery maker Fanuc fell 0.9%.
In Hong Kong, property companies weighed on the market after developer Henderson Land placed shares over the weekend. The Hang Seng Index fell 0.1% to 18868.54. The Hang Seng Properties Index fell 1.8% to 21533.91. Henderson Land fell 6.3% after it raised $710 million through a share placement over the weekend, the latest in a flurry of fund-raising activities by Hong Kong-listed developers planning expansion in mainland China. (See related article.)
Other developers' shares fell as concern grew that they may follow suit. Sun Hung Kai fell 1.27% and Cheung Kong Holdings declined 1.29%. However, Ben Kwong, chief operating officer of KGI Asia Ltd., said he expects property stocks to regain upward momentum toward the end of this month, as land auctions will be held then.
China Construction Bank bucked the general trend and was the biggest blue chip-gainer, up 3.3%, as investors now view the stock as undervalued amid a generally bullish view on China's banking sector. China Netcom Group rose 3.1% after Spanish telecom giant Telefonica, a 5% stakeholder in Netcom, showed interest in raising its stake, which increased optimism over the mainland fixed-line operator's growth potential.
South Korean shares finished flat, with strong gains in technology shares offsetting losses in shipbuilders. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, ended up 0.1% at 1396.69. Technology shares rose on bargain-hunting, with Samsung Electronics advancing 1.6% and Hynix Semiconductor gaining 2.6%. Analysts said technology shares are likely to rise more in the next few sessions, but "big gains may not be possible until the end of this year, due to ongoing concerns" over the oversupply of memory-chips, said Korea Investment & Securities' analyst Jay Yoo.
Shipbuilders lost ground on worries ship prices may fall in the next few years. Hyundai Heavy Industries dropped 5.7%, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering lost 2.8% and Samsung Heavy Industries lost 5%.
In Taiwan, shares end down 0.5% at 7136.06, with technology stocks leading the decline. TSMC fell 1.3%, UMC declined 1.1% and MediaTek lost 1.9%. But those losses were offset by gains in paper and property-related stock. Chung Hwa Pulp rose 5.8%, while Goldsun Development & Construction rose 5.4%.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index fell 0.3% to 5418.4, as plunging metal prices pressured the market and sent miners Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton sharply lower. On Friday, London Metal Exchange copper fell 5.5%, zinc shed 4.7%, aluminum lost 4.8% and nickel dropped 3.3%. Shares of BHP Billiton fell 3.9%, while Rio fell 3.7%. Smaller, less diversified miners were the hardest hit, with Zinifex falling 8.1% and Kagara Zinc dropping 5.7%.
Elsewhere around the region, New Zealand's leading share index fell 0.3%, while Singapore's Straits Times Index ended flat.
In currencies, the dollar was trading at ￥117.42, down from ￥117.62 late Friday in New York. The euro rose to $1.2870 from $1.2846.
亚太股市周一收低，东京股市领跌
2006年11月13日19:44大 | 中 | 小
亚太股市周一收盘多数走低，东京股市领跌，原因是投资者担心日本经济增长将会放缓。受地产类股的拖累，香港股市下挫。
东京股市收低，因银行和其他国内需求类股在国内生产总值(GDP)明日公布之前遭大举抛售，东证指数连续第七个交易日收盘下挫，为1年半来持续时间最长的跌势，该指数下跌12.61点，至1568.76点，跌幅0.8%，创下7周内最低水平。日经225指数下跌89.94点，至16022.49点，跌幅0.6%；该指数上周五跌86.14点。
瑞银(UBS)客户交易及执行负责人Trevor Hill表示，短期来看，经济数据表明日本经济增长正在放缓。这给市场以及银行等易受通货再膨胀影响的类股形成了冲击。
香港股市收盘走低，此前蓝筹股公司恒基兆业地产有限公司(Henderson Land, 简称：恒基地产)于周末期间进行了股票配售。恒生指数下跌22.60点，收于18,868.54点，跌幅0.1%。但由于市场流动资金充足，交易员继续看好香港股市。新鸿基资料研究有限公司(Sun Hung Kai Research Limited)策略师彭伟新(Castor Pang)认为，18,500点位置将有强力支撑。
中国股市收盘走低，受矿业类股跌势影响，原因是全球金属价格大幅下滑。基准上证综合指数收盘下跌1.0%，至1863.77点。深证综合指数跌2.8%，至432.57点。
新加坡股市收盘微幅走高，亚洲地区股市的疲弱表现令新加坡股市涨幅受限。部分市场观察人士称，新加坡股市即将展开小幅调整。海峡时报指数收盘涨1.93点，至2747.24点，涨幅0.1%。
金属价格骤跌打击矿业类股，最终拖累澳大利亚股市走低。金融和消费必需品等抗跌股的买盘在一定程度上缓解了跌势，但交易商们仍然在密切关注金属价格及其进一步下跌的可能性。基准的S&P/ASX 200指数收盘下跌0.3%，至5418.4点，市场成交量明显放大。
