Most major indexes in Asia closed lower on Thursday after the release of softer-than-expected China data. Markets also digested the rise in U.S. Treasury yields overnight following tax reform headlines out of Washington.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index dropped 58.38 points or 0.3% to 19,807.44
The Hang Seng Index lost 116.88 points, or 0.4%, to 27,777.20
Gains in blue chips in Korea helped to buoy the broader market: Samsung Electronics finished 1.4% higher and Hyundai Motor closed 2.2% higher.
Despite a fall in Apple stock on Wednesday, the company's South Korean suppliers continued their climb following the unveiling of the newest iPhone on Tuesday.
Samsung Electronics was up 1%, SK Hynix advanced 0.9% and LG Display jumped 2.7%
Taiwan-listed Apple suppliers were mixed after falling in the last session: Largan Precision closed up 0.3% while Hon Hai Precision Industry fell 0.9% by the end of the session.
In corporate news, Toshiba said Wednesday it had entered into a memorandum of understanding with a consortium including Bain Capital to expedite negotiations to sell Toshiba Memory Corporation, its flash memory unit.
Toshiba also said it would continue considering a separate offer made by Western Digital, but that the American data storage company was inflating its rights over Toshiba's chip unit, according to Reuters. Toshiba shares closed down 4.5%.
Australian markets slid slightly, with the materials sub-index falling 0.9% and leading losses.
The Australian dollar traded at $0.7996 U.S. after the lower-than-expected numbers out of China. The currency had traded as high as $0.8016 U.S. in the session on the release of solid jobs data. Movements in the Aussie dollar are influenced by China data due to Australia's dependence on exports.
CHINA
The CSI 300 fell 12.65 points, or 0.3%, to 3,829.96
A barrage of Chinese data released on Thursday came in weaker than expected. August industrial production rose 6% from one year ago, below the 6.6% forecast. Fixed asset investment, meanwhile, increased 7.8% from January to August, missing a forecast of 8.2%.
Retail sales also missed the mark, rising 10.1% in August from a year ago. Forecasters had estimated a rise of 10.5%.
In other markets
In Taiwan, the Taiex index gained 20.69 points, or 0.2%, to 10,553.57
In Korea, the Kospi index regained 17.48 points, or 0.7%, to 2,377.66
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index fell 9.41 points, or 0.3%, to 3,220.95
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 faded 8.2 points, or 0.1%, to 7,819.23
In Australia, the ASX 200 dipped 5.58 points, or 0.1%. to 5,738.68
