Tokyo Nikkei 225 down 0.34%, S&P ASX 200 down 1.06% (Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Tokyo, 09 May - Asian shares outside China closed lower, retreating from recent gains after a muted close on Wall Street overnight.

Uncertainty over the timing of potential US interest rate cuts kept sentiment in check after mixed signals from US policymakers, with a string of Fed officials warning that interest rates will remain higher for longer.

Japanese shares closed lower for a second day, further retreating from three-week highs.

Sydney's ASX 200 slipped from near a one-month high as heavyweight miners dipped on weak commodity prices.

Chinese stock bucked the trend and rose, extending recent gains and climbing to their highest levels in 2024 after data showed that Chinese imports rose more than expected in April, fuelling hopes that domestic demand in the region's largest economy is picking up.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.1% near 15-month high hit earlier in the week, after rising nearly 1% gain in April, its third straight month of gains.

The Nikkei index closed down 0.34% at 38,073 points, in Sydney the S&P ASX 200 closed down 1.06% at 7,721 points, while in Seoul the KOSPI closed down 1.20% at 2,712 points.

The Shanghai Composite index was up 0.78% at 3,152 points and the Hong Kong Hang Seng index was up 1.25% at 18,542 points.

In Mumbai the Sensex index was down 0.60% at 73,026 points.

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(RADIOCOR) 09-05-24 09:05:52 (0201) 5 NNNN