Asian Market Update

Asian markets were mixed Friday with a record close on Wall Street unable to lift investors at the end of a disappointing week that saw Japan plunge into recession and a trumpeted Hong Kong Shanghai exchange link-up fall flat.

The yen made some minor gains against the dollar and euro after hitting multi-year lows, but with eyes on next month's general election analysts expect it to resume its downtrend.

Tokyo fell 0.85 per cent and Sydney lost 0.16 per cent while Hong Kong shed 0.17 per cent. But Shanghai edged up 0.12 per cent and Seoul put on 0.20 per cent.