Nikkei slips as auto shares skid, banks edge up

Japan's Nikkei stock average slipped 0.9 percent on Tuesday as worries over General Motors spurred investors to lock in profits on auto shares, while banks rose after better-than-expected results from U.S. peers. Retailer Aeon Co Ltd, which is set to report full-year results after the close, fell 4.8 percent after its unit Talbots Inc posted a deeper-than-expected quarterly loss and offered staid sales projections. The benchmark Nikkei shed 81.75 points to 8,842.68 for its second consecutive day of losses, while the broader Topix fell 0.7 percent to 843.42.