Investing.com - Shares in Tokyo fell by the break on Wednesday with investors looking ahead to the European Central Bank and further signs on the tenor of the U.S. economic outlook.
The Nikkei 225 fell 0.78%, while the Hang Seng index eased 0.37% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index was down 0.43% after GDP data.
Australia fourth quarter GDP rose 0.5% as expected quarter-on-quarter, taking the annual pace to 2.5%.
A rise in household consumption driven by discretionary spending on recreation and culture and indicates increased confidence among households to spend which was not clearly evident in consumer-confidence data.
U.S. stocks fell broadly on Tuesday, one day after the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 traded in record territories, while the NASDAQ Composite index reached the 5,000 level for the first time in 15 years.
Stocks on the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.47% or 85.26 points to 18,203.37. At one point on Tuesday, the Dow dropped 150 points before rebounding in late trading.
Investors remained cautious ahead of the upcoming European Central Bank meeting on Thursday, when it was expected to announce details of its quantitative easing program.