Nikkei dips 0.3 pct as techs weigh, earnings eyed

                                
 * Nikkei, moving below 25-day MA, faces resistance -analyst
                                
 * Profit-taking weighs after 5-day gaining streak -analyst
                                
 * Chip gear makers slip after Intel lowers capex plan
                                
 * Bank shares drag after U.S. peers fall ahead of earnings
                                
 By Aiko Hayashi
                                
 TOKYO, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average lost 0.3
percent on Wednesday, as chip gear makers such as Tokyo Electron
<8035.T> lost ground after Intel Corp <INTC.O> trimmed capital
spending plans despite an upbeat earnings result.
                                
 Bank shares such as Mizuho Financial Group <8411.T> slid
after their U.S. peers fell ahead of earnings reports from
several major banks this week, with JP Morgan Chase <JPM.N>
reporting on Wednesday and Goldman Sachs on Thursday. [SP500/WK]
[RESF/US]
                                
 Market players said the market was having a hard time
breaking through key resistance levels amid profit-taking after
the Nikkei gained 4.2 percent in a five-day rising streak.
                                
 "It'll be hard to try above these levels until investors see
apparent signs of improvement in the corporate earnings outlooks
for the next business year," said Kenichi Hirano, operating
officer at Tachibana Securities.
                                
 In moderate trade, the benchmark Nikkei <.N225> fell 25.43
points to 10,051.13, below its 25-day moving average of around
10,150.
                                
 The broader Topix <.TOPX> slipped 1 percent to 892.21.
                                
 CHIP GEAR MAKERS, BANKS FALL
                                
 Among chip equipment makers, Tokyo Electron <8035.T> dipped
0.5 percent to 5,740 yen, while Nikon Corp <7731.T> fell 1.3
percent to 1,714 yen and Disco Corp <6146.T> slid 3 percent to
5,850 yen.
                                
 Intel's quarterly outlook and results beat expectations, but
it said it now expects its capital spending in 2009 to be around
$4.5 billion down from its previous expectation of around $4.7
billion. [ID:nN1315624]
                                
 Market players also said falls in tech shares appeared to be
due to profit-taking after gains made the previous day on
expectations for the Intel's positive earnings and after a recent
rally.
                                
 Japan's No.2 bank Mizuho shed 4.3 percent to 178 yen, while
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group <8306.T> lost 3.4 percent to 484
yen. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group <8316.T> gave up 4.1 percent
to 3,290 yen.
                                
 U.S. financial shares slipped on Tuesday, with Goldman Sachs
Group Inc <GS.N> falling after influential banking analyst
Meredith Whitney downgraded the stock, saying the upside could be
limited for the company in the medium term. [ID:nBNG167833]
                                
 "Japanese financial shares are top-heavy. What's underneath
is still the moratorium issue. Investors cannot avoid being
cautious in the short-term," said Masaru Hamasaki, senior
strategist at Toyota Asset Management.
                                
 Japan's government plans to push banks to prop up struggling
small firms by allowing them to forgo the repayment of loans for
up to 3 years, sources have told Reuters. [ID:nT92662]
                                
 Japan Airlines (JAL) <9205.T> shares slid 3 percent to 129
yen after news that the company has asked its creditors for a
total of 600 billion yen ($6.7 billion) in financial aid as part
of a restructuring plan. [ID:nT343964]
                                
 Some 1.1 billion shares changed hands on the Tokyo exchange's
first section, above last week's morning average of 980 million.
                                
 Declining shares outnumbered advancing ones by more than 3 to
1.
 (Editing by Edwina Gibbs)