Asia shares edge lower

Asian shares dipped on Thursday as investors brushed off another record close on Wall Street ahead of the release of closely watched US jobs data. Tokyo and Hong Kong were flat, Sydney slipped 0.51 per cent, Shanghai eased 0.18 per cent and Seoul was 0.56 per cent lower. On currency markets, the euro faced further selling pressure owing to expectations the European Central Bank will further cut interest rates and unveil other monetary easing measures to fend off deflation and support the economy. The euro bought $1.3596 against $1.3599 in New York, while it slipped to 139.46 yen from 139.68 yen. The dollar was quoted at 102.60 yen compared with 102.74 yen. Gold fetched $1,243.31 an ounce at 0200 GMT compared with $1,245.55 late Monday, according to AFP.