DEBORAH MARCHINI, CNN ANCHOR: Time now to get a look at the trading in Asia, most of which was uneventful. Michelle Han joins me now from Hong Kong with a look at the Asian markets -- hi, Michelle.</s>MICHELLE HAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Deborah, good morning. Well, Tokyo stocks ended marginally lower as investors turned cautious ahead of earnings due out later in the week from Japan's major banks. Analysts say bad-loan problems are likely to force most of the country's top banks into the red for the business year that ended March 31. Shares of Mizuho Holdings and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking both fell, dragging the benchmark Nikkei down almost of a fifth of a percent by the close. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index lost a quarter of a percent, as weakness in property issues offset gains in the tech sector. Market watchers say some investors are focusing on Hong Kong's upcoming release of GDP figures. Friday's figures are expected to show a slowdown in growth from 6 percent in the fourth quarter to just 2 percent in the first quarter of this year. The mood was brighter in Taipei, where the weighted index soared 4.3 percent to breach the 5000 level. Dealers said government-linked funds were seen propping up share prices. And electronics issues were the main beneficiaries. Acer and Winbond both rose around 7 percent on hopes they would get a boost from weakness in the Taiwan dollar. And that's the business day here in Asia, Deborah -- back to you in New York.</s>MARCHINI: Michelle, thank you.
Tokyo Stocks End Down Slightly