Asia markets were broadly lower, with Japanese shares leading losses and the Australian benchmark index slipping to a four-month low, as investors flocked to safe-haven assets amid worries about the U.S. election.
The Nikkei 225 in Japan returned after a holiday, and was clubbed 229.32 points, or 1.3% at 16,905.36, with shares coming under pressure from a stronger yen.
The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong lost 40.89 points, or 0.2%, to 22,642.62
The yen, which is considered a safe haven asset, strengthened against the U.S. dollar to trade as high as 102.81 on Friday in Asia, climbing from levels above 104 reached earlier this week.
Relative strength in yen pushed major Japanese exporters lower, with Toyota shares closing down 4%, Sony lower by 2.8% and Mazda Motor down 5.1%
In company news, shares in Takata closed down 1.8%, following a report from the Nikkei business daily that the troubled airbag maker was preparing to file for possible bankruptcy protection in the U.S. due to mounting costs related to its defective air bag inflators.
Takata said in a statement that it had nothing to announce in relation to Nikkei's report.
On Friday, Takata raised its forecast for full-year profit to 20 billion yen ($194 million U.S.) for the 12 months to March, up from a forecast net profit of 13 billion and a net loss of 13.1 billion yen in the same period a year ago.
The forecast excludes the cost of recalling the faulty air bags, which have been linked to 16 deaths. The company is currently seeking a new financial backer.
Australian markets tanked, declining for five consecutive sessions to end at a level not seen since late June. The energy sector slipped 0.9% while the heavily-weighted financial sector fell 1.6%.
The country's so-called "Big Four" banks finished lower, with the National Australia Bank dropping 6% to 25.88 Australian dollars a share. Traders said NAB shares had gone ex-dividend; the bank announced a dividend of 99 Australian cents ($0.76) a share last week.
Other major banking stocks also fell, with ANZ shares down 1.5% the Commonwealth Bank of Australia 0.9% lower and Westpac down 0.5%
Shares in Australian explosives maker Orica surged 8.3%, after earlier reporting an annual net profit before one-offs of 389 million Australian dollars ($299 million U.S.) for full year 2016, which was down 7% on-year.
In other markets
The CSI 300 in Shanghai dipped 10.91 points, or 0.3%, to 3,354.17
In Korea, the Kospi closed down 1.78 points, or 0.1%, at 1,982.02.
The Straits Times Index in Singapore slid 13.28 points, or 0.5%, to 2,788.80
In Taiwan, the Taiex Index eked up 0.88 points to 9,068.15
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 plummeted 70.46 points, or 1%, to 6,708.47
Australia's benchmark ASX 200 closed down 44.75 points, or 0.9%, at 5,180.80,
