Investing.com - Asian shares fell on Thursday as tech names eased in line with US tech plays overnight and investors turned cautious after the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, suggested a total boycott on oil shipments to North Korea following the week's ICBM launch.
Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.10%, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.68%. Japan's Oriental Land, which operates Tokyo Disney Resort, intends to grow the theme park to attract tourists, according to Nikkei. The company reportedly has plans to spend ¥300 billion ($2.68 billion), with shares up 3.18% after the news.
In Greater China, the Shanghai Composite shed 0.31% and the Hang Seng index fell 1.27%.
Elsewhere, China's manufacturing PMI rose to 51.8 in November, a faster pace than expected 51.4 level expected while non-manufacturing also gained to 54.8 from 54.3 in October, official data released Thursday showed.
A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below that signals contraction.
"The latest official PMI readings suggest that growth momentum held up well this month," Julian Evans-Pritchard, China economist at Capital Economics, said in a note following the data release.
The release of a private PMI survey may paint a better picture of the economic situation in China. The Caixin/Markit manufacturing PMI is expected to be published on Friday, with the services PMI reading coming next Tuesday.
The private surveys tend to focus on small and mid-sized firms.
Earlier, Japan reported provisional industrial production for October up 0.5%, compared with a provisional gain of 1.9% expected on month. Australia reported building approvals for October rose 0.9%, compared with a 1.8% fall expected and private sector credit hit a 0.4% gain seen on month.
Overnight, the Dow rose 103.97 points, or 0.44%, to close at 23,940.68. The Nasdaq composite underperformed other major U.S. indexes, falling 1.27% as popular tech names recorded significant declines.