Li Fung

Rising applications in the U.S. for unemployment claims sent Asian shares lower today. In Japan the Nikkei 225 Index slid 0.9% and in China the Shanghai Composite Index slipped 1.3%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng inched up 0.2%.

A building boom -- and the constrained supply of materials due to mandated energy cuts -- sent Chinese cement, metal and building-equipment stocks up Thursday. Meanwhile, Hong Kong and Japanese exporters benefited from improving consumer sentiment and falling unemployment in the U.S.

In Hong Kong Tuesday, the Hang Seng Index slid 1.8 percent to close at 21,240, and China's Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.2 percent, ending the day at 3,114. The Tokyo Stock Exchange was closed today in celebration of Culture Day. In Hong Kong, Trinity Ltd, the menswear division of mega clothing...

China stocks dropped Wednesday for the first time in four days, with the Shanghai Composite Index falling 1.1 percent to close at 2,999.7 -- hovering at the 3,000 mark that many technical analysts view as a key point of resistance for the recovering market. Brokerages led the slide as the number...

Shares in Asia were mixed Monday with the Hang Seng down 1.1 percent to close at 20,932 and the Nikkei dropping 2.3 percent to end the day at 10,202. Only the China markets were in the green with the Shanghai Composite gaining 1.2 percent to close at 3,027. The Chinese index might have gone higher,...