Hong Kong--Most of Asia's key markets were lower Monday following a strong end to last week and despite another record close on Wall Street, although Tokyo was supported by a weaker yen.
The euro continued to hold its strength, even though there has been no breakthrough in talks between Greece and its creditors on overhauling its bailout terms.
Shanghai shed 0.58 percent, or 25.20 points, to 4,283.49 and Sydney fell 1.33 percent, or 76.3 points, to 5,659.2, while in late trade Hong Kong gave up 1.20 percent and Singapore was 0.21 percent lower.
However, Tokyo ended 0.80 percent higher, adding 157.35 points to end at 19,890.27, while Seoul gained 0.34 percent, or 7.22 points, to 2,113.72.
Regional investors took a breather after Friday's rally across most indexes, overshadowing another record finish on the S&P 500.
The US gains came after more weak data indicating a recovery in the world's number one economy may not be as strong as thought, making an expected interest rate hike unlikely in the near future.
US industrial production fell 0.3 percent in April, the fifth straight month of decline, according to Federal Reserve data, while the University of Michigan's US consumer sentiment index plummeted to 88.6 in May from 95.9 in April.
That came after figures last week showed the US producer price index fell in April, confounding forecasts for a rise, while retail sales saw their weakest year-on-year growth since 2009.
"Investors are likely to start the week in cautious mode as markets assimilate the impact of weaker than expected US data and wait on developments in the Greek debt saga," Ric Spooner, chief market analyst in Sydney at CMC Markets, wrote in an e-mail to clients.
AFP
