Taiwan stocks down

Taiwan stocks edged away from a 21-month high to close lower on Thursday as investors used Wall Street's weakness as an excuse to pocket recent gains in tech and financial shares like Mega Financial Holding.
The TAIEX ended down 1.15 percent at 6,312.65, taking a breather from a 10 percent rally since late December, spurred by growing confidence in corporate fundamentals.
Mega shares fell 2.26 percent to T$21.60 and Chang Hwa Bank shares slipped 3.24 percent to T$17.90, pushing the financial sub-index 2.73 percent lower, while the bellwether tech sector edged down 0.54 percent.
Among other major losers, AU Optronics, retreated from recent advances to finish down 3.28 percent at T$47.20 and memory chipmaker Nanya Tech was off 0.78 percent at T$25.30.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co fell 1.48 percent to T$66.50. The world's top contract chipmaker reported strong quarterly earnings minutes after the close of trade.
The over-the-counter TAISDAQ inched down 0.08 percent to 132.67, while February TAIEX futures fell 0.57 percent to close at 6,331.