Asian stocks declined on Thursday after Fed Chair Janet Yellen suggested interest rate hikes could happen sooner than expected.
An dip on Wall Street overnight drove most Asian equities lower on early Wednesday.
Asian equities kicked off February on weak footing after Chinese factory growth slumped to a six-month low in January.
Asian stocks declined on Thursday after a preliminary reading of Chinese manufacturing activity fell to a six-month low.
Asian markets were mixed on Thursday with the Nikkei at fresh six-year highs while mainland shares were dragged down by steep losses in financials.
Asian shares followed their Wall Street peers lower as talk about a scaling back of the Federal Reserve's monetary stimulus weighed on sentiment.
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group said its first-half net profit increased 53% on the year to 5 billion dollars. Sachiko Kishida reports.
Asian equities were mixed on Thursday on the back of positive Chinese manufacturing data and liquidity fears in the mainland.
Japan led Asian stocks higher on Wednesday on news that President Obama will announce Janet Yellen as the next chair of the Federal Reserve.
Asian stocks experienced a broad sell-off on Monday over weak Chinese factory data and worries about a shutdown of the U.S. government.
Japan's benchmark index led Asian stocks higher on Tuesday as dollar-yen flirted with the key 100-level while better-than-expected manufacturing data in Europe and China lifted confidence in the global economic recovery.
Abenomic-fueled stock market gains in the first quarter through June has sure helped out Japanese financial institutions. The Nikkei's Yukako Ono reports.
The Shanghai Composite rallied over 1 percent on Thursday as investors cheered news of easing regulations while Japan's Nikkei index closed off its five-and-a-half year peak after data showed that capital spending fell for a fifth straight month.