Asian stock markets closed mostly lower Tuesday, with prices slipping in Tokyo on profit-taking. Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei Stock Average of 225 selected issues lost 63.84 points, or 0.56 percent, to 11,423.26. On Monday, the index rose 48.71 points, or 0.43 percent. The Nikkei fell on profit-taking as traders sold blue chip issues to take stock of surprisingly strong November machinery orders data, which lifted share prices on both Friday and Monday. The data, regarded as a leading indicator of corporate capital spending several months ahead, showed core machinery orders for November jumped 19.9 percent from the previous month, far exceeding economists' average forecast of a 3.5 percent rise. Semiconductor testing device maker Advantest Corp. and other high technology issues Kyocera Corp. and Sony Corp. declined. In currency trading, the U.S. dollar was quoted at 102.61 yen, up 0.55 yen from late Monday and also above the 101.93 yen it bought in European trading overnight. In Hong Kong, the blue-chip Hang Seng Index slipped 17.43 points, or 0.12 percent, to 13,604.22. On Monday, the index rose 126.87 points, or 0.94 percent. --more 1321 Local Time 1021 GMT
