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Hong Kong - Asian markets sank on Wednesday, taking a lead from another sell-off on Wall Street, while Tokyo took a hit as the yen climbed against the dollar with profit-takers moving in following last week's greenback rally.
With few catalysts to drive business, trade was thin, which dealers said was causing choppiness, while focus turns to the Federal Reserve's next policy meeting next week.
Tokyo fell 2.13 percent, Hong Kong slipped 1.46 percent, Sydney was 1.12 percent lower, and Shanghai eased 0.23 percent, while Seoul was down 1.10 percent.
Despite a small pick-up on Tuesday, regional markets followed Wall Street's lead in the wake of the weekend's worse-than-expected trade and inflation data from China and a downward revision to Japanese 2013 growth.
A lack of guidance from the Bank of Japan on its plans for monetary policy also disappointed on Tuesday, giving traders hardly any buying incentives.
"The lack of participants is showing what happens when there is also a lack of trading cues or a negative factors -- volatility kicks up," Sumitomo Mitsui Banking strategist Daisuke Uno told Dow Jones Newswires. "The market is up one day, down the next... there is no direction."
On Wall Street the Dow slipped 0.41 percent, the S&P 500 shed 0.51 percent and the Nasdaq lost 0.63 percent, its fourth loss in as many sessions.
The Nikkei in Japan came under pressure from a pick-up in the yen, which hurts the country's exporters.
The greenback stood at 102.91 yen, falling from 102.94 yen in New York and well down from the 103.30 yen seen in Tokyo Tuesday.
And the euro was 142.59 yen from 142.73 yen in US trade, also sharply lower than 143.30 yen earlier Tuesday in Asia.
Both the dollar and euro slumped against the yen last Monday in response to the unfolding Ukraine crisis, before rallying towards to end of the week as leaders from Russia and the West began talks.
The single currency was also at $1.3853 against $1.3863.
China is due Thursday to release data on industrial output and retail sales, but the main focus will be on next week's Fed meeting to see if it will further cut its stimulus programme for a third time.
Oil prices slipped. New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate for April delivery, was down 57 cents at $99.46 in early Asian trading. Brent North Sea crude eased 29 cents to $108.26 for its April contract.
Gold fetched $1 357.28 an ounce at 02:15 GMT compared with $1 348.55 late on Monday.
