China led losses in Asia-Pacific on Thursday, followed by Japan stocks which resumed trading after an extended New Year’s holiday during which the country witnessed an earthquake and an accident involving Japan Airlines.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 returned to trading, losing 175.88 points, or 0.5%, to 33,288.29.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index retreated 0.43 points to 16,645.98.
Markets in Asia also took cues from global stocks after minutes of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s meeting in December showed interest rate cuts were likely in 2024, but provided little clarity on when that might happen.
In other markets
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 shed 31.25 points, or 0.9%, to 3,347.06.
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index sank 25.43 points or 0.8%, to 3,174.01.
In Taiwan, the Taiex lost 9.66 points, or 0.1%, to 17,549.65.
In Korea, the Kospi index fell 20.29 points, or 0.8%, to 2,587.02.
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 regained 28.99 points, or 0.3%, to 11,759.11.
In Australia, the ASX 200 settled 29.1 points, or 0.4%, to 7,494.10.
