Asian shares slumped with U.S. stock futures and the yen rebounded against the dollar as an unexpected drop in Chinese exports undermined confidence in the global economy. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index declined 0.6 percent, dropping for a fifth straight day.
Japan's Nikkei share average gave up early gains and slipped on Thursday as the yen clawed back ground it had lost to the dollar, with sentiment further undercut by China's weak trade numbers.
The Nikkei slipped 0.4 percent to end at 16,774.24, moving away from last Friday's five-week highs.
China stocks barely changed on Thursday, as reform hopes that boosted shares of several state-owned companies were largely offset by disappointment over weak export data and growing concerns over yuan depreciation.
The blue-chip CSI300 index rose 0.1 percent, to 3,302.65, while the Shanghai Composite Index also gained 0.1 percent to 3,061.35 points.
Hong Kong shares fell on Thursday after China's September trade data showed a sharp decline in exports, raising fresh concerns about the trajectory of the world's second-biggest economy and its currency the yuan.
The Hang Seng index fell 1.6 percent, to 23,031.30, the biggest one-day loss since Sept. 30.
Reference: Reuters,Bloomberg
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