The Nikkei 225 shed 1.2% to 40,283.44, the Kospi edged 0.1% lower to 2,751.22, Hang Seng index advanced 1.1% to 16,579.99, the Shanghai Composite added 1.2% to 3,029.01, S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.9% to 7,887.00, while Taiex was little changed
Asian shares were mixed on Thursday after U.S. stocks broke out of a three-day lull to end at a record high.
Oil prices gained, while U.S. futures dropped.
The dollar remained strong against the Japanese yen and Chinese yuan, a trend that has unsettled regulators in both Tokyo and Beijing.
The dollar advanced to 151.37 yen from 151.30 yen. The euro slid to $1.0822 from $1.0828.
On Wednesday, the yen tumbled to its lowest level since 1990, and Japanese officials reiterated their desire for stability in exchange rates.
As the yen continues to show vulnerability, market participants will be vigilant for any hints of possible intervention in the currency market by Japanese policymakers, Anderson Alves of ActivTrades stated in a commentary.
The dollar bought 7.2286 yuan. It also has weakened against the dollar in recent weeks.
We continue to think that policymakers in China and Japan will do enough to keep their currencies from weakening much further, but the risk of a break lower in one, or both, is increasing, Jonas Goltermann of Capital Economics said in a report.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 shed 1.2% to 40,283.44. The Kospi in Seoul also dropped, edging 0.1% lower to 2,751.22.
Chinese markets recouped losses from the day before. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index advanced 1.1% to 16,579.99, while the Shanghai Composite added 1.2% to 3,029.01.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.9% to 7,887.00. Taiwan’s Taiex was little changed.
On Wednesday, the S&P 500 jumped 0.9% to a record 5,248.49 in its first gain since setting its last all-time high on March 21.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 1.2% to 39,760.08, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.5% to 16,399.52. Both closed a bit short of their own records.
