Investing.com - Asian stock markets were mostly lower on Thursday, with central bank policy decisions in Japan and Europe in focus.
During late Asian trade, Hong Kong's Hang Seng dipped 0.15%, China’s Shanghai Composite inched up 0.59%, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 closed 0.44% lower, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 ended down 0.33%.
Asia was given a negative lead from the U.S., where the Nasdaq 100 dropped by the most in almost a month, as losses in Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) dragged the index lower.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei ended lower one day after hitting a seven-month peak after the Bank of Japan left its monetary policy on hold at the conclusion of a two-day review and kept its economic assessment unchanged.
The yen weakened against the dollar, trading at ¥104.98 from ¥104.78 in the previous session.
Focus now turns to the European Central Bank's policy meeting later in the day, amid speculation the central bank could unveil fresh stimulus measures to fight inflation and boost growth.
Meanwhile, shares in mainland China edged higher for the fifth consecutive day to hit a new 14-month peak, while Hong Kong retreated slightly one day after closing at the highest level since May 2008.
Chinese markets have been well-supported in recent sessions amid speculation policymakers in Beijing will stimulate the economy in order to meet the government's 7.5% growth target.
Elsewhere, in Australia, the ASX/200 Index declined, while the Australian dollar weakened to 93.34 U.S. cents from 94.44 on Wednesday.
July trade data released earlier showed that the deficit narrowed to A$1.36 billion, lower than the A$1.5 billion deficit that markets were expecting.
Looking ahead, European stock market futures pointed to a modestly lower open. The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 futures pointed to a loss of 0.25%, France’s CAC 40 declined 0.15%, London’s FTSE 100 indicated a fall of 0.1%, while Germany's DAX shed 0.1%.
Across the Atlantic, U.S. equity markets pointed to a flat open. The Dow 30 futures pointed to a loss of 0.04%, the S&P 500 inched down 0.01%, while the Nasdaq 100 indicated a rise of 0.03%.
On Friday, the U.S. will release its August non-farm payroll report, and investors hope the data will serve as weather vane pointing to the direction of monetary policy.
While U.S. economy continues to gain steam, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen has expressed concern over slackness persistent in the labor market.
On Thursday, the U.S. is to release trade-balance data, the ADP report on private-sector job creation and the weekly report on initial jobless claims.
Also on Thursday, the ISM is to publish a report on U.S. service sector activity.