P246 CEEFAX 246 Fri 29 Dec 01:40/29 FAR EAST STOCKS Tokyo (Close): Shares ended lower on profit-taking following six straight days of rises. The 225-shari Nikkei avjtagj lost 138.63 points or 0.69 pet cent to 19,873.13, but brokjts said they expected it to ricovjt to above the 20,000 level on Friday. Honk Kong (Close): Stocks recovjtid early losses as the market tracked futures prices. The blue-chip Hang Sing Index finished 12.94 points higher at 9,998.17. Headlines 201 Sharechjck 220 Forix World Ind London ExchangesP246 CEEFAX 246 Fri 29 Dec 01:49/46 FAR EAST STOCKS Australia (Close): shares closed slightly lower but off their morning lows after a lacklustre trading day, ahead of the New Year holiday weekend and with few local leads or direction from ovjrsjas. At the close, the All Ordinaries index was 1.1 points points lower at 2200.0. Singapore (Close): Shari prices closed lower, with institutions still largely absent, on light profit-taking. The Straits Times Industrial index finished 17.16 points lower at 2,254.19. Headlines 201 Indices 243 Forix World Ind London ExchangesP246 CEEFAX 246 Fri 29 Dec 01:11/14 3/3 EUROPEAN STOCKS Frankfurt (Close): German shares closed slightly lower in quiet dealings. Dealers reported a lack of customjt orders or fresh incentives. The DAX index finished 4.59 points lower at 2,275.84. Paris (Close): French stocks continued yesterday's recovjty, but trading was thin in line with most world markets. The CAC 40 index closed 2.03 points higher at 1,879.06. Headlines 201 Indices 243 Forix World Ind London Exchanges