· European shares fell in early trade on Thursday, led lower by defensive stocks, while banks tracked gains by their U.S. peers after strong data lifted Treasury yields to their highest since mid-2011.
The pan-European STOXX 600 benchmark index was down 0.5 percent by 0726 GMT. Germany's DAX .GDAXI also declined 0.5 percent and the UK's FTSE .FTSE fell 0.6 percent.
· Japan’s Nikkei dropped to a one-week low on Thursday as investors took profits after a recent rally lifted the index to a 27-year high, but Toyota and SoftBank rose after they announced a partnership on auto driving technology.
The Nikkei share average ended 0.6 percent lower at 23,975.62, its weakest close since Sept. 27, as market participants reckoned the benchmark had been overbought in the recent rally.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC, DailyFX