Investing.com - Asian shares fell on Thursday with the Nikkei 225 down 0.5% following a recent rally in Tokyo that encouraged investors to step back.
The Nikkei is still up 4.5% from a recent bottom on Aug. 8, as a weaker yen supports.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.3% Thursday, as investors watched weaker iron ore prices.
The focus in Australia also remained on domestic earnings reports.
Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX:QAN). was up 7.1% after its CEO said the country's flagship carrier would create a new holding structure and corporate entity, increasing the potential of attracting future investment.
Overnight, U.S. stocks rose in listless trading, with many investors on the sidelines digesting earnings and geopolitical events while waiting for more heavy-hitting economic indicators.
The Dow 30 rose 0.09%, the S&P 500 index ended the session largely unchanged at a record-high 2000.12, while the NASDAQ Composite index inched down 0.02%.
On Thursday, investors will track revised U.S. gross domestic product data, weekly initial jobless claims and a report on pending home sales, with many hoping the indicators will shed light on the pace of U.S. recovery as well as the future of monetary policy.
Ongoing geopolitical concerns kept investors at bay as well.
Ukraine continued to accuse Russian forces of crossing its border one day after leaders from both countries agreed to find ways to end the separatist war raging in the eastern reaches of the country.