Asian markets mostly down; Nikkei sheds 181pts

Asian markets were mixed in today's trade.

The Nikkei ended with a loss of 181 points at 17,341.

The Hang Seng has shed 32 points to 19,734, and the Shanghai Composite index has slipped five points to 3118.

The Taiwan Weighted index has dropped 33 points to 7845.

On the other hand, the Straits Times index has moved up 24 points to 3229, and the Seoul Composite index has added three points to 1453.