Asia shares mixed after new Wall St record

HONG KONG (AFP) - Asia's markets were mixed on Wednesday, with another record-breaking close on Wall Street offset by profit-taking after the previous day's healthy gains.

The euro was under pressure after a survey showed German sentiment at an 18-month low, which raised concerns about Europe's biggest economy.

Tokyo eased 0.17 per cent and Sydney dipped 0.21 per cent but Hong Kong gained 0.57 per cent and Seoul added 0.80 per cent, while Shanghai was flat.

Traders took their foot off the pedal after Tuesday's rally, which was inspired by a big pick-up on Wall Street thanks to advances in tech shares.

And in New York the Dow and S&P 500 extended Monday's gains despite weaker-than-expected retail sales data.

The Dow added 0.12 per cent and the S&P 500 edged up 0.04 per cent, both at new records, but the Nasdaq dipped 0.33 per cent after surging 1.77 per cent Monday.

Retail and food services sales rose a mere 0.1 per cent in April, softer than the 0.3 per cent gain expected by analysts. However, the March increase was upwardly revised to 1.5 per cent from the prior estimate of 1.2 per cent.

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