P236 CEEFAX 2 236 Wed 12 Jan 22:19/19 Tokyo (Close): Share prices closed lower, hit by profit-taking among IT and high-technology stocks following the sharp downturn on Nasdaq. The benchmark Nikkei average was down 173.50 points, or 0.92%, at 18,677.42. Honk Kong (Close): Stocks fell, but ended above lows, as institutional investors grew cautious over interest rates following a Wall Street easing. The benchmark Hang Sing Index fell 147.90 points to stand at 15,714.20. Headlines 200 Sharecheck 220 World Indices 233 Front Page 100 Forex Markets World Ind Main MenuP236 CEEFAX 2 236 Wed 12 Jan 22:47/29 Australia (Close): Investors wiped out nearly all the gains made on the local share market a day earlier, focusing on Rupert Murdoch's media empire News Corp Ltd and big mining stocks. The benchmark All Ordinaries index fell by 60.0 points to stand at 3,104.6 Singapore (Close): Singapore technology stocks ended lower but failed to pull down the leading index as Singapore Airlines and banking stocks did well. The Straits Times Index ended the session up 17.86 points at 2,427.56. Headlines 200 Sharecheck 220 World Indices 233 Front Page 100 Forex Markets World Ind Main MenuP236 CEEFAX 2 236 Wed 12 Jan 22:54/34 3/3 Frankfurt (Close) German shares wiped out earlier losses to close marginally higher, boosted by a firmer start on Wall St and as non-chemical cyclicals bucked the downtrend led by MAN. The Xjtra DAX index was quoted 21.56 points ahead at 6,912.81. Paris (Close): French shares closed lower, but off the day's worst, amid consolidation in the media and technology sectors. The CAC-40 index was quoted 31.40 points lower at 5,582.50. Headlines 200 Sharecheck 220 World Indices 233 Front Page 100 Forex Markets World Ind Main Menu