Nikkei: 10,237.92 (–122.42) Hang Seng: 22,447.34 (–169.60) Shanghai Comp: 2,789.92 (+37.07): ASIAN STOCKS fell as protests against Egypt's government continued for a sixth day and earnings reports disappointed investors.
Nissan dropped 2.2 per cent to 830 yen after saying it closed its factory in Egypt until February 3th. Honda, which gets 80 per cent of its sales abroad, slid 1.4 per cent to 3,475 yen.
Chiyoda, a Japanese engineering company that counts the Middle East as its main market by sales, sank 2.5 per cent.
Canon, the world’s biggest camera maker which gets 81 per cent of its sales outside of Japan, dropped 1 per cent to 4,025 yen.
“A sense of uncertainty is widespread in the entire Middle East,” said Tomochika Kitaoka, a senior strategist in Tokyo at Mizuho Securities Co.
BHP Billiton, the world’s number one mining company and Australia’s biggest oil producer, lost 1 per cent in Sydney.
GS Engineering and Construction, which gets 17 per cent of its revenue from the Middle East, fell by 7 per cent to 119,000 won in Seoul. Hyundai Engineering and Construction, South Korea’s largest construction company, slumped 1.7 per cent to 86,900 won. – (Bloomberg)
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