Asian stocks swung between gains and losses as rising commodity prices pushed energy and mining shares higher, while the yen’s rise weighed on Japanese exporters.
Nikkei 225 8,841 -8.25 -0.09%
Hang Seng 20,502 +62.53 +0.31%
S&P/ASX 200 4,288 +17.03 +0.40%
Shanghai Composite Closed
Woodside Petroleum Ltd. (WPL), an Australian oil and gas producer, added 1.5 percent.
Honda Motor Co., Japan’s second-largest carmaker by market value, dropped 1.9 percent after Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda call for “bold” action failed to stem the yen’s appreciation.
NEC Corp. slid 7.1 percent in Tokyo after the electronics maker forecast its third loss in four years.
Hong Kong-based GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd. led gains among solar panel makers in on speculation the market in China and Germany will expand.