MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.5% at 691.76, still not too far from Wednesday’s high of 696.76, a level last seen on May 10.
Chinese shares started weaker with the blue-chip index off 0.2%.
Australian shares were flat while New Zealand’s benchmark index stumbled 0.9%, extending losses for a second day in a row after the country’s central bank on Wednesday signalled rate rises from next year.
Japan’s Nikkei was down 0.8%. E-Mini futures for the S&P 500 were down 0.2%.
Global equities markets have been supported by a concerted effort from major central banks who have pumped trillions of dollars in financial markets since last year while reiterating their lower-for-longer interest rate stance as they seek to cast any inflation rise as temporary.
· Japanese shares fall on profit-taking, pandemic worries
Japanese shares fell on Thursday as investors trimmed their positions after a recent rally, with a possible extension of COVID-19 emergency measures fuelling concerns about domestic economic growth.
The Nikkei share average trimmed the day's losses to close 0.33% lower at 28,549.01, but still snapped a five-day, 2.1% winning run. The broader Topix fell 0.5% to 1,911.02.
· HSBC exits loss-making U.S. retail banking as part of Asia pivot
HSBC (HSBA.L) announced it is withdrawing from U.S. mass market retail banking by selling some parts of the money-losing business and winding down others, a long-awaited move as the lender steps up a shift in focus to Asia, its biggest market.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 hovered around the flatline in early trade, with travel and leisure stocks climbing 1.4% while food and beverages fell 0.6%.
Airbus shares climbed more than 6% in early trade to lead the Stoxx 600 after the planemaker announced ambitious production plans, targeting 64 A320 models per month by the second quarter of 2023.
Reference: CNBC, Reuters
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