Asian stocks close in red
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Japanese techs were mixed, with falls for NEC, Kyocera and Hitachi.
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(CNN) -- Asian markets took a breather Wednesday, easing down as investors reviewed gains made earlier this week that pushed Japan, South Korea and Australia to 21-month highs.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 average finished down 0.1 percent to 11,351.92, after going as high as 11,430 earlier in the day.
On Tuesday, the Nikkei ended up 0.80 percent at 11,361.51, its highest finish since June 11, 2002.
The broader Topix index closed 0.07 percent lower to 1116.01.
A jump in the dollar supported big exporters such as automakers and consumer electronics makers. The dollar is buying 110.10 yen in late afternoon trade, near its highest since November.
Markets in Australia and South Korea were also flat, closing slightly in the red. Taiwan's Taiex, which closed at a 41-month high Tuesday, dropped 0.62 percent.
Hong Kong is showing the region's heaviest decline, down more than 2 percent.
Singapore is also in the red heading towards the close. But New Zealand's Top 50 moved against the trend, putting on half a percent.
In Tokyo, big banks led the gains. UFJ was 5 percent ahead to 544,000 yen and Mizuho was up 2.9 percent to 355,000 yen. MTFG and SMFG were also firmly in the black.
Japan's biggest carmaker Toyota gave up early gains to end in the red, down 0.7 percent to 3870 yen. But both Nissan and Honda finished ahead, reflecting optimism over the strength of the dollar.
Tech-related stocks were mixed, with Tokyo Electron up 1 percent to 6960 yen and a solid 1.3 percent rise for Fuji Electric, but falls for NEC, Kyocera, Matsushita Electric and Hitachi.
Big mobile phone operator NTT DoCoMo was steady at 230,000 yen.
In South Korea, the Kospi closed 0.38 percent lower at 895.81 after going above 900 at one point.
Market heavyweight Samsung Electronics was steady at 554,000 won and Hyundai Motor slipped 1.3 percent to 49,450 won.
Big financial group Shinhan was up 5 percent to 22,700 won.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX200 closed 0.06 percent lower to 3388.5. Resources leader BHP Billiton continued to make gains, up another 0.87 percent to A$12.78.
But Telstra fell 1.45 percent to A$4.77, and leading airline Qantas plunged 3.9 percent to A$3.66.
Brewing group Foster's was down half a percent to A$4.33 after naming Trevor O'Hoy as its next CEO. He will replace Ted Kunkel next month. (Full story)
As expected, Australia's central bank left interest rates on hold at 5.25 percent. (Full story)
In Taiwan, the Taiex was down 0.62 percent to 6932.17, after briefly going above 7000 earlier in the day. Chip foundry UMC was up 1 percent to T$33.60. TSMC, the market's biggest stock, was down 1.5 percent to T$66.00.
In Singapore, the Straits Times index is down about 0.5 percent to 1883.31. SingTel is steady, while Singapore Airlines is down 0.85 percent to S$11.40.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index is down more than 2 percent to 13,427.20. Big bank HSBC, which reported record profits on Monday, is down 2.8 percent to HK$122.50.
The moves in Asia followed a weaker day Tuesday on Wall Street . The Dow Jones industrial average eased about 0.8 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 0.88 percent to 2039.65. (Full story)
