Asian stocks fell, with the regional benchmark index retreating from a six-month high, as oil prices at a nine-month high threatened to curb spending and accelerate inflation, tempering optimism after Euro-area finance ministers agreed a bailout package for Greece.
Nikkei 225 9,463.02 -22.07 -0.23%
Hang Seng 21,478.72 +53.93 +0.25%
S&P/ASX 200 4,291.2 +35.10 +0.82%
Shanghai Composite 2,381.43 +17.83 +0.75%
Panasonic Corp., a Japanese electronics company, dropped 1.9 percent to 710 yen in Tokyo after saying it plans to re- enter the European mobile-device market with a smartphone in April.
Mazda Motor Corp., Japan’s least profitable major automaker, slumped 9.9 percent to 145 yen on a report it plans to raise capital.
DeNA Co., a social-networking service provider, rallied 8.2 percent to 2,576 yen. DeNA and South Korea’s web-portal operator Daum Communications Corp. said they have started providing “Daum Mobage,” a South Korean version of DeNA’s social gaming platform, targeting 10 million users within a year.
OneSteel Ltd. surged the most in almost three years in Sydney as Australia’s second-biggest steelmaker said it’s switching focus to iron ore away from its loss-making steel unit. The shares rose 12 percent to 82 Australian cents, the biggest jump since April 2009.