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Asia stocks struggle for direction as investors watch US Treasury yields

Asia stocks struggle for direction as investors watch US Treasury yields

People walk in front of an electronic stock indicator in Tokyo, Thursday, April 11, 2013. Asian stock markets powered higher Thursday after a U.S. communications company posted a surprise jump in earnings that led to big gains in technology stocks and new highs on Wall Street. Japan's Nikkei 225 jumped 1.2 percent to 13,549.16. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Stocks in Asia were mixed following an overnight inversion of a closely watched US Treasury yield curve to its worst level in more than a decade.

Mainland Chinese stocks closed lower, with the Shanghai composite declining 0.29 per cent to approximately 2,893.76 and the Shenzhen component down 0.31 per cent to 9,414.00. The Shenzhen composite shed 0.125 per cent to about 1,593.82. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was about 0.2 per cent lower, as of its final hour of trading.

Elsewhere, the Nikkei 225 in Japan added 0.11 per cent to close at 20,479.42 while the Topix rose fractionally to finish its trading day at 1,490.35. South Korea’s Kospi closed 0.86 per cent higher at 1,941.09. With both countries remaining locked in a diplomatic spat, Japan officially removed South Korea from a list of preferred trading partners.