Tech-related stocks are the focus for investors Wednesday.
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(CNN) --Asian stocks have closed broadly lower Wednesday after Wall Street eased and the dollar hit fresh three-year lows against the yen.
The Nikkei 225 average finished down 0.69 percent to 10,852.4, adding to a 0.41 percent fall Tuesday.
The broader Topix index was off 0.49 percent to 1,058.15.
The dollar is trading at 106.6 yen in Tokyo late Wednesday, just above a three-year low of 105.49 yen seen Tuesday.
Most other markets in Asia were also lower, with heavy falls in Singapore and Hong Kong. Australia lost about 1 percent and South Korea and New Zealand were also down.
But Taiwan recovered from early falls to finish just in the black, up 0.03 percent.
Wall Street eased Tuesday from 31-month highs, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq dipping 1.75 percent and the Dow losing about 0.9 percent. (Full story)
Consumer electronics leader Sony finished down 0.23 percent to 4320 yen. After the close it posted a 26 percent drop in third-quarter earnings but said full-year net income would likely rise 10 percent to 55 billion yen.
Last year, the company posted a $1 billion loss for its first fiscal quarter, which led to the "Sony shock" that pummeled its shares and helped push the Nikkei to a two-decade low.
Other tech-related stocks in the red included NEC, Toshiba, Hitachi and Fujitsu. But Canon was up another 2.6 percent to 5540 yen after confirming it would invest heavily in Japan over the next three years.
In Seoul, South Korea's Kospi fell 0.4 percent to 859.59, giving up early gains on the back of a strong run for market heavyweight Samsung Electronics. Samsung was up 2 percent at one stage, but eased to close 0.56 percent higher at 538,000 won.
Hyundai Motor and Kookmin Bank were also up, but SK Telecom was a high-profile loser, tumbling 5.3 percent to 214,500 won.
In Taiwan, the Taiex closed just in the black, up 0.03 percent at 6386.25.
Profit-takers moved in on semiconductor stocks. Taiwan Semiconductor, which jumped 3 percent Tuesday, was off 1.46 percent to T$67.50. Competitor United Micro Electronics, another strong gainer this week, was off 0.3 percent to T$31.60.
Singapore's Straits Times index is down 1.97 percent to 1866.94 heading towards the close, with SingTel off 1.5 percent to S$1.98. Singapore Airlines is also in the red.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index is 1.88 percent lower to 13,561.62, with hefty falls for Hutchison Whampoa and PCCW. Big bank HSBC and China Mobile are also in the red.
New Zealand's Top 50 Index gave up early gains to finish down 0.17 percent at 2519.9 points.
A strong recovery by National Australia Bank was not sufficient to stop the Australian market falling into negative territory Wednesday.
The S&P/ASX 200 index finished down 0.98 percent to 3279.6.
NAB climbed 95c to $30.39 after it had announced a A$322 million profit from sales in the financial institutions AMP, HHG and St George Bank. (Full story)
AMP fell A$1.20 to $4.51 and St George lost 50c to $19.60 in the aftermath of the NAB decision. HHG firmed 1c to $1.07.
The Australian market has brushed aside the latest inflation data, showing consumer prices dropped 2.4 percent during the December quarter, representing a 0.2 percent fall on the previous 12-week period.
Overall, negative sentiment in Asia has been driven by the bird flu outbreak and Tuesday's decline on Wall Street, where profit-takers moved in to make the most of 31-month highs.
The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 92.59 points to 10, 609.92 while the S&P 500 Index eased 11.32 points to 1144.05.
(CNN) --Asian stocks have closed broadly lower Wednesday after Wall Street eased and the dollar hit fresh three-year lows against the yen.
The Nikkei 225 average finished down 0.69 percent to 10,852.4, adding to a 0.41 percent fall Tuesday.
The broader Topix index was off 0.49 percent to 1,058.15.
The dollar is trading at 106.6 yen in Tokyo late Wednesday, just above a three-year low of 105.49 yen seen Tuesday.
Most other markets in Asia were also lower, with heavy falls in Singapore and Hong Kong. Australia lost about 1 percent and South Korea and New Zealand were also down.
But Taiwan recovered from early falls to finish just in the black, up 0.03 percent.
Wall Street eased Tuesday from 31-month highs, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq dipping 1.75 percent and the Dow losing about 0.9 percent. (Full story)
Consumer electronics leader Sony finished down 0.23 percent to 4320 yen. After the close it posted a 26 percent drop in third-quarter earnings but said full-year net income would likely rise 10 percent to 55 billion yen.
Last year, the company posted a $1 billion loss for its first fiscal quarter, which led to the "Sony shock" that pummeled its shares and helped push the Nikkei to a two-decade low.
Other tech-related stocks in the red included NEC, Toshiba, Hitachi and Fujitsu. But Canon was up another 2.6 percent to 5540 yen after confirming it would invest heavily in Japan over the next three years.
In Seoul, South Korea's Kospi fell 0.4 percent to 859.59, giving up early gains on the back of a strong run for market heavyweight Samsung Electronics. Samsung was up 2 percent at one stage, but eased to close 0.56 percent higher at 538,000 won.
Hyundai Motor and Kookmin Bank were also up, but SK Telecom was a high-profile loser, tumbling 5.3 percent to 214,500 won.
In Taiwan, the Taiex closed just in the black, up 0.03 percent at 6386.25.
Profit-takers moved in on semiconductor stocks. Taiwan Semiconductor, which jumped 3 percent Tuesday, was off 1.46 percent to T$67.50. Competitor United Micro Electronics, another strong gainer this week, was off 0.3 percent to T$31.60.
Singapore's Straits Times index is down 1.97 percent to 1866.94 heading towards the close, with SingTel off 1.5 percent to S$1.98. Singapore Airlines is also in the red.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index is 1.88 percent lower to 13,561.62, with hefty falls for Hutchison Whampoa and PCCW. Big bank HSBC and China Mobile are also in the red.
New Zealand's Top 50 Index gave up early gains to finish down 0.17 percent at 2519.9 points.
A strong recovery by National Australia Bank was not sufficient to stop the Australian market falling into negative territory Wednesday.
The S&P/ASX 200 index finished down 0.98 percent to 3279.6.
NAB climbed 95c to $30.39 after it had announced a A$322 million profit from sales in the financial institutions AMP, HHG and St George Bank. (Full story)
AMP fell A$1.20 to $4.51 and St George lost 50c to $19.60 in the aftermath of the NAB decision. HHG firmed 1c to $1.07.
The Australian market has brushed aside the latest inflation data, showing consumer prices dropped 2.4 percent during the December quarter, representing a 0.2 percent fall on the previous 12-week period.
Overall, negative sentiment in Asia has been driven by the bird flu outbreak and Tuesday's decline on Wall Street, where profit-takers moved in to make the most of 31-month highs.
The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 92.59 points to 10, 609.92 while the S&P 500 Index eased 11.32 points to 1144.05.
(CNN) --Asian stocks have closed broadly lower Wednesday after Wall Street eased and the dollar hit fresh three-year lows against the yen.
The Nikkei 225 average finished down 0.69 percent to 10,852.4, adding to a 0.41 percent fall Tuesday.
The broader Topix index was off 0.49 percent to 1,058.15.
The dollar is trading at 106.6 yen in Tokyo late Wednesday, just above a three-year low of 105.49 yen seen Tuesday.
Most other markets in Asia were also lower, with heavy falls in Singapore and Hong Kong. Australia lost about 1 percent and South Korea and New Zealand were also down.
But Taiwan recovered from early falls to finish just in the black, up 0.03 percent.
Wall Street eased Tuesday from 31-month highs, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq dipping 1.75 percent and the Dow losing about 0.9 percent. (Full story)
Consumer electronics leader Sony finished down 0.23 percent to 4320 yen. After the close it posted a 26 percent drop in third-quarter earnings but said full-year net income would likely rise 10 percent to 55 billion yen.
Last year, the company posted a $1 billion loss for its first fiscal quarter, which led to the "Sony shock" that pummeled its shares and helped push the Nikkei to a two-decade low.
Other tech-related stocks in the red included NEC, Toshiba, Hitachi and Fujitsu. But Canon was up another 2.6 percent to 5540 yen after confirming it would invest heavily in Japan over the next three years.
In Seoul, South Korea's Kospi fell 0.4 percent to 859.59, giving up early gains on the back of a strong run for market heavyweight Samsung Electronics. Samsung was up 2 percent at one stage, but eased to close 0.56 percent higher at 538,000 won.
Hyundai Motor and Kookmin Bank were also up, but SK Telecom was a high-profile loser, tumbling 5.3 percent to 214,500 won.
In Taiwan, the Taiex closed just in the black, up 0.03 percent at 6386.25.
Profit-takers moved in on semiconductor stocks. Taiwan Semiconductor, which jumped 3 percent Tuesday, was off 1.46 percent to T$67.50. Competitor United Micro Electronics, another strong gainer this week, was off 0.3 percent to T$31.60.
Singapore's Straits Times index is down 1.97 percent to 1866.94 heading towards the close, with SingTel off 1.5 percent to S$1.98. Singapore Airlines is also in the red.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index is 1.88 percent lower to 13,561.62, with hefty falls for Hutchison Whampoa and PCCW. Big bank HSBC and China Mobile are also in the red.
New Zealand's Top 50 Index gave up early gains to finish down 0.17 percent at 2519.9 points.
A strong recovery by National Australia Bank was not sufficient to stop the Australian market falling into negative territory Wednesday.
The S&P/ASX 200 index finished down 0.98 percent to 3279.6.
NAB climbed 95c to $30.39 after it had announced a A$322 million profit from sales in the financial institutions AMP, HHG and St George Bank. (Full story)
AMP fell A$1.20 to $4.51 and St George lost 50c to $19.60 in the aftermath of the NAB decision. HHG firmed 1c to $1.07.
The Australian market has brushed aside the latest inflation data, showing consumer prices dropped 2.4 percent during the December quarter, representing a 0.2 percent fall on the previous 12-week period.
Overall, negative sentiment in Asia has been driven by the bird flu outbreak and Tuesday's decline on Wall Street, where profit-takers moved in to make the most of 31-month highs.
The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 92.59 points to 10, 609.92 while the S&P 500 Index eased 11.32 points to 1144.05.
(CNN) --Asian stocks have closed broadly lower Wednesday after Wall Street eased and the dollar hit fresh three-year lows against the yen.
The Nikkei 225 average finished down 0.69 percent to 10,852.4, adding to a 0.41 percent fall Tuesday.
The broader Topix index was off 0.49 percent to 1,058.15.
The dollar is trading at 106.6 yen in Tokyo late Wednesday, just above a three-year low of 105.49 yen seen Tuesday.
Most other markets in Asia were also lower, with heavy falls in Singapore and Hong Kong. Australia lost about 1 percent and South Korea and New Zealand were also down.
But Taiwan recovered from early falls to finish just in the black, up 0.03 percent.
Wall Street eased Tuesday from 31-month highs, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq dipping 1.75 percent and the Dow losing about 0.9 percent. (Full story)
Consumer electronics leader Sony finished down 0.23 percent to 4320 yen. After the close it posted a 26 percent drop in third-quarter earnings but said full-year net income would likely rise 10 percent to 55 billion yen.
Last year, the company posted a $1 billion loss for its first fiscal quarter, which led to the "Sony shock" that pummeled its shares and helped push the Nikkei to a two-decade low.
Other tech-related stocks in the red included NEC, Toshiba, Hitachi and Fujitsu. But Canon was up another 2.6 percent to 5540 yen after confirming it would invest heavily in Japan over the next three years.
In Seoul, South Korea's Kospi fell 0.4 percent to 859.59, giving up early gains on the back of a strong run for market heavyweight Samsung Electronics. Samsung was up 2 percent at one stage, but eased to close 0.56 percent higher at 538,000 won.
Hyundai Motor and Kookmin Bank were also up, but SK Telecom was a high-profile loser, tumbling 5.3 percent to 214,500 won.
In Taiwan, the Taiex closed just in the black, up 0.03 percent at 6386.25.
Profit-takers moved in on semiconductor stocks. Taiwan Semiconductor, which jumped 3 percent Tuesday, was off 1.46 percent to T$67.50. Competitor United Micro Electronics, another strong gainer this week, was off 0.3 percent to T$31.60.
Singapore's Straits Times index is down 1.97 percent to 1866.94 heading towards the close, with SingTel off 1.5 percent to S$1.98. Singapore Airlines is also in the red.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index is 1.88 percent lower to 13,561.62, with hefty falls for Hutchison Whampoa and PCCW. Big bank HSBC and China Mobile are also in the red.
New Zealand's Top 50 Index gave up early gains to finish down 0.17 percent at 2519.9 points.
A strong recovery by National Australia Bank was not sufficient to stop the Australian market falling into negative territory Wednesday.
The S&P/ASX 200 index finished down 0.98 percent to 3279.6.
NAB climbed 95c to $30.39 after it had announced a A$322 million profit from sales in the financial institutions AMP, HHG and St George Bank. (Full story)
AMP fell A$1.20 to $4.51 and St George lost 50c to $19.60 in the aftermath of the NAB decision. HHG firmed 1c to $1.07.
The Australian market has brushed aside the latest inflation data, showing consumer prices dropped 2.4 percent during the December quarter, representing a 0.2 percent fall on the previous 12-week period.
Overall, negative sentiment in Asia has been driven by the bird flu outbreak and Tuesday's decline on Wall Street, where profit-takers moved in to make the most of 31-month highs.
The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 92.59 points to 10, 609.92 while the S&P 500 Index eased 11.32 points to 1144.05.
(CNN) --Asian stocks have closed broadly lower Wednesday after Wall Street eased and the dollar hit fresh three-year lows against the yen.
The Nikkei 225 average finished down 0.69 percent to 10,852.4, adding to a 0.41 percent fall Tuesday.
The broader Topix index was off 0.49 percent to 1,058.15.
The dollar is trading at 106.6 yen in Tokyo late Wednesday, just above a three-year low of 105.49 yen seen Tuesday.
Most other markets in Asia were also lower, with heavy falls in Singapore and Hong Kong. Australia lost about 1 percent and South Korea and New Zealand were also down.
But Taiwan recovered from early falls to finish just in the black, up 0.03 percent.
Wall Street eased Tuesday from 31-month highs, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq dipping 1.75 percent and the Dow losing about 0.9 percent. (Full story)
Consumer electronics leader Sony finished down 0.23 percent to 4320 yen. After the close it posted a 26 percent drop in third-quarter earnings but said full-year net income would likely rise 10 percent to 55 billion yen.
Last year, the company posted a $1 billion loss for its first fiscal quarter, which led to the "Sony shock" that pummeled its shares and helped push the Nikkei to a two-decade low.
Other tech-related stocks in the red included NEC, Toshiba, Hitachi and Fujitsu. But Canon was up another 2.6 percent to 5540 yen after confirming it would invest heavily in Japan over the next three years.
In Seoul, South Korea's Kospi fell 0.4 percent to 859.59, giving up early gains on the back of a strong run for market heavyweight Samsung Electronics. Samsung was up 2 percent at one stage, but eased to close 0.56 percent higher at 538,000 won.
Hyundai Motor and Kookmin Bank were also up, but SK Telecom was a high-profile loser, tumbling 5.3 percent to 214,500 won.
In Taiwan, the Taiex closed just in the black, up 0.03 percent at 6386.25.
Profit-takers moved in on semiconductor stocks. Taiwan Semiconductor, which jumped 3 percent Tuesday, was off 1.46 percent to T$67.50. Competitor United Micro Electronics, another strong gainer this week, was off 0.3 percent to T$31.60.
Singapore's Straits Times index is down 1.97 percent to 1866.94 heading towards the close, with SingTel off 1.5 percent to S$1.98. Singapore Airlines is also in the red.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index is 1.88 percent lower to 13,561.62, with hefty falls for Hutchison Whampoa and PCCW. Big bank HSBC and China Mobile are also in the red.
New Zealand's Top 50 Index gave up early gains to finish down 0.17 percent at 2519.9 points.
A strong recovery by National Australia Bank was not sufficient to stop the Australian market falling into negative territory Wednesday.
The S&P/ASX 200 index finished down 0.98 percent to 3279.6.
NAB climbed 95c to $30.39 after it had announced a A$322 million profit from sales in the financial institutions AMP, HHG and St George Bank. (Full story)
AMP fell A$1.20 to $4.51 and St George lost 50c to $19.60 in the aftermath of the NAB decision. HHG firmed 1c to $1.07.
The Australian market has brushed aside the latest inflation data, showing consumer prices dropped 2.4 percent during the December quarter, representing a 0.2 percent fall on the previous 12-week period.
Overall, negative sentiment in Asia has been driven by the bird flu outbreak and Tuesday's decline on Wall Street, where profit-takers moved in to make the most of 31-month highs.
The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 92.59 points to 10, 609.92 while the S&P 500 Index eased 11.32 points to 1144.05.
