Asian Markets mostly down on Friday (MarketWatch) (09-05-2008)

HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Most Asian markets declined on Friday, with Japanese stocks retreating after the drop in profits announced by Toyota Motor Corp, while higher crude-oil prices boosted energy producers such as Inpex Holdings in Tokyo and BHP Billiton in Sydney, but hurt shares of refiner China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. and Cathay Pacific Airways in Hong Kong.

The Nikkei 225 Average dropped 2.6% to 13,655.34, in addition to a 1.1% drop Thursday, while the Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong, fell 1.52%% to 25,063.17.

China's Shanghai Composite dropped 1.19% to 3,613.49, after rising as high as 3,693.16 earlier in the day.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index rose 0.85% to 5,771.80 and South Korea's Kospi fell 1.36% to 1,721.41, while New Zealand's NZX 50 index added 0.1% to 3,629.26.

Elsewhere, Singapore's Straits Times Index slipped 0.1% to 3,170.26 and Taiwan's Weighted index gave up 0.2% to 8,847.09.

  Source MarketWatch