Asia shares down after Wall St losses

Asian stock markets were mostly lower on Thursday as investors took a breather after the previous day's rally, taking their lead from a retreat on Wall Street.
The euro continued to face pressure from the dollar and the yen ahead of next week's European Central Bank board meeting that many expect will see an easing of monetary policy.
Tokyo reversed earlier losses to end higher for a sixth straight session. The Nikkei edged up 10.77 points to 14,681.72, while Sydney fell 0.14 percent, or 7.68 points, to 5519.5 and Seoul lost 0.24 percent, or 4.80 points, to close at 2,012.26.
Shanghai shed 0.47 percent, or 9.63 points, to 2,040.60 and Hong Kong lost 0.30 percent, or 69.89 points to 23,010.14.
With key US economic data due to be released later in the day, including the second estimate of first-quarter gross domestic product, dealers were keeping to the sidelines after enjoying a healthy pick-up on Wednesday, according to AFP.