Tokyo Nikkei 225 down 0.43%, S&P ASX 200 up 0.73% (Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Tokyo , 17 Jul - Asian shares closed mostly lower in cautious trade, with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan down 0.12%, further retreating from a more than two-year high. The index climbed for a fifth straight month in June, when it rose more than 3%, its best performance since February.

In Asian stock market dealings technology shares weighed, with chipmakers underperforming ahead of key earnings from the sector this week.

Prospects of US interest rate cuts helped support investor sentiment after yesterday's gains on Wall Street, with the Dow Jones index climbing yesterday nearly 2% to record highs.

US stock futures fell slightly in Asian trade.

Increased speculation over a a second term for Donald Trump kept sentiment in check after the US Republican presidential candidate said in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek that Taiwan should pay the US for defense.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 outperformed its Asian peers and hit an all-time high as it was lifted by miners.

The Nikkei index closed down 0.43% at 41,097 points, in Sydney the S&P ASX 200 closed up 0.73% at 8,057 points, while in Seoul the KOSPI closed down 0.79% at 2,843 points.

The Shanghai Composite index was down 0.32% at 2,966 points and the Hong Kong Hang Seng index was down 0.02% at 17,724 points. The market were closed in Mumbai for a public holiday.

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(RADIOCOR) 17-07-24 08:53:14 (0175) 5 NNNN