Asian stocks
steadied on Thursday after earlier losses, aided by a weaker dollar as
markets studied Federal Reserve meeting minutes that indicated both
readiness and caution over raising interest rates.
European markets were headed for a mixed start, with financial spreadbetter CMC Markets expecting Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE to open 0.3 percent lower, and Germany's DAX .GDAXI and France's CAC 40 .FCHI to start the day slightly higher.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was unchanged, hovering near the highest level since July 2015 it hit on Wednesday. Earlier, the index lost as much as 0.15 percent.
Japan's Nikkei .N225 closed fractionally lower, while Australian shares ended the day down 0.35 percent.
South Korean shares .KS11 were little changed after the central bank kept interest rates steady at 1.25 percent, as expected, for an eighth straight month.
China's CSI 300 index .CSI300, which touched a 2-1/2 month high earlier on Thursday, was 0.5 percent lower after regulators circulated a draft of new rules for the asset management industry aimed a curbing financial risks.
Hong Kong shares .HSI, which early on Thursday touched their highest level since September, pulled back to trade 0.3 percent below Wednesday's close.
Overnight on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI ended up almost 0.2 percent, its ninth straight record-close.
That optimism however, didn't flow through to other indexes, with the S&P 500 .SPX and the Nasdaq .IXIC both closing about 0.1 percent lower.
The greenback's earlier gains were driven by parts of the minutes of the Fed's Jan. 31-Feb. Meeting, which said it may be appropriate to raise rates again "fairly soon" should jobs and inflation data be in line with expectations.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was unchanged, hovering near the highest level since July 2015 it hit on Wednesday. Earlier, the index lost as much as 0.15 percent.
Japan's Nikkei .N225 closed fractionally lower, while Australian shares ended the day down 0.35 percent.
South Korean shares .KS11 were little changed after the central bank kept interest rates steady at 1.25 percent, as expected, for an eighth straight month.
China's CSI 300 index .CSI300, which touched a 2-1/2 month high earlier on Thursday, was 0.5 percent lower after regulators circulated a draft of new rules for the asset management industry aimed a curbing financial risks.
Hong Kong shares .HSI, which early on Thursday touched their highest level since September, pulled back to trade 0.3 percent below Wednesday's close.
Overnight on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI ended up almost 0.2 percent, its ninth straight record-close.
That optimism however, didn't flow through to other indexes, with the S&P 500 .SPX and the Nasdaq .IXIC both closing about 0.1 percent lower.
The greenback's earlier gains were driven by parts of the minutes of the Fed's Jan. 31-Feb. Meeting, which said it may be appropriate to raise rates again "fairly soon" should jobs and inflation data be in line with expectations.
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