• Sterling stole center stage in Asia on Wednesday amid speculation Britain's surprise decision to call a snap election could ultimately deliver a more market-friendly outcome in its divorce from the European Union.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS fell 0.6 percent to the lowest since mid-March.
• Japanese stocks were nearly flat on Wednesday in choppy trade as investors refrained from taking large positions as geopolitical tensions soured the mood.
The Nikkei 225 share average edged up 0.07 percent to 18,432.20 after traversing positive and negative territory, while the broader Topix was down 0.01 percent at 1,471.42.
• China's main indexes fell for their fourth straight session on Wednesday, as investor worries deepened that tighter regulations against speculation and shadow banking will hurt the country's credit-fuelled recovery.
The blue-chip CSI300 index fell 0.5 percent to 3,445.88 points, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.8 percent to 3,170.69 points.
• Hong Kong stocks fell for the third straight session on Wednesday, following global equities lower as worries about France's presidential election and tensions over North Korea dampened investors' appetite for riskier assets.
The Hang Seng index fell 0.4 percent to 23,825.88 points, while the China Enterprises Index lost 0.6 percent to 9,983.73. Most sectors fell.
Reference: Reuters,CNBC
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