Asian shares mixed on profit taking
Trading was also affected by a lower session on Wall Street overnight.
Trading was also affected by a lower session on Wall Street overnight.
Asian stocks were mixed today (April 14th) due to profit-taking following recent gains in the region.
Trading was also affected by a lower session on Wall Street overnight due to worries that the strong US dollar could affect exporters' shares, as first-quarter earnings season officially today.
It was a choppy session today, especially in China, with the Shanghai Composite index switching between positive and negative territories before adding 0.3 per cent to a seven-year high of 4,135.57 at the close.
Investors focused on economic growth data on China, set to be released later in the week, after the publication of a string weak China economic data in the past few days.
"It's safe to say investors in China are positioning for some disappointing data and the weak trade balance suggests GDP could undershoot this week and risks slipping below the expected seven per cent," Stan Shamu, IG's market strategist, told CNBC.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 edged up 0.02 per cent to finish at 19,908.68. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.2 per cent to 5,946.60 and South Korea's Kospi gained 0.6 per cent to 2,111.72, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed 1.5 per cent down to 27,595.32.