Most Asian stock markets declined Thursday after Wall Street fell for a fifth day and Britain's Cabinet endorsed a draft agreement to leave the European Union.
Tokyo's Nikkei 225 lost 0.7 per cent to 21,686.71 points and Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 retreated 0.6 per cent to 5,696.00. The Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.3 per cent to 2,641.21.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced 0.1 per cent to 25,689.00. Jakarta gained while New Zealand, Taiwan and other Southeast Asian markets declined, reports AP.
US markets were dragged down by losses for tech companies, banks and insurers. Apple Inc. lost 2.8 per cent. Bond prices rose as traders shifted money into low-risk assets.
Energy stocks rebounded as crude oil prices snapped a 12-day losing streak. The S&P 500 index fell 0.8 per cent to 2,701.58. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.8 per cent to 25,080.50.
The Nasdaq composite dropped 0.9 per cent to 7,136.39.
Benchmark US crude lost 32 cents to $55.93 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 56 cents on Wednesday to close at $56.25.
Brent crude, used to price international oils, fell 24 cents to $65.88 per barrel in London. It gained 65 cents the previous session to $66.12.
The dollar weakened to 113.47 yen from Wednesday's 113.63 yen. The euro strengthened to $1.1323 from $1.1309.
