Asian markets were mixed Thursday as Japanese and Hong Kong shares fell, tracking Wall Street's overnight decline, but Chinese shares notched up a ninth straight record close and South Korea stocks also hit a new high, REPORTED AP. Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 index shed 129.65 points, or 0.73 percent, to finish at 17,540.42. Losers included Tokyo Electron Ltd., which lost 2.17 percent, Toyota Motor Corp. shed 1.34 percent and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. posted a 2.17 percent drop. Hong Kong shares also declined, snapping a five-day winning streak. The blue chip Hang Seng Index fell 69.22 points, or 0.3 percent, to 20,380.21. Minutes of a U.S Federal Reserve's meeting issued overnight signaled the possibility of interest rate hikes in the U.S. to curb inflation, worrying investors and pressuring property stocks, said Francis Lun, a general manager at Fulbright Securities Ltd. Hong Kong investors usually pay close attention to U.S. rates because the territory tends to follow the lead of the American monetary policy. The local currency is pegged to the U.S. dollar. But traders said the bullishness in the mainland markets should provide a strong support to the city's benchmark index. «Persistent strong performance in China's stock market will propel Hang Seng Index toward 20,500 points after the short consolidation,» said Castor Pang, a strategist at Sun Hung Kai Research Ltd. Chinese stocks rose to a ninth straight record high Thursday with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rising 1 percent to a record close of 3,531.03. The Shenzhen Composite Index rose 2.2 percent to a record 948.69. Shares in Seoul also scored the day's best trading. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, rose 12.19 points, or 0.81 percent, to 1,525.61. In currency dealings, the U.S. dollar was trading at 119.28 yen late Thursday, down from 119.34 yen late Wednesday in New York. The euro rose to US$1.3449 in early trading from US$1.3430.
