Asia Stocks Fall as Japan Goes Ex-Dividend, China Shares Slide
- ANZ Bank, CBA, Westpac lead Australian bank shares lower
- Shanghai equities fall for second day as property shares drop
Economic Data Puts Pressure on Japan's Shinzo Abe
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Asian stocks fell on low volumes as health-care companies led losses and more than two-thirds of the companies in Japan’s Topix index traded without the right to the next dividend.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index slipped 0.5 percent to 127.49 as of 5:01 p.m. in Tokyo. The gauge is up 7 percent since the start of March, on course for the best month since October. The Topix slid 0.3 percent. Australian bank shares declined as markets reopened after a holiday amid concern bad debt charges will grow. China shares dropped for a second day. Data Monday showed the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation slowed, clouding the outlook for higher interest rates in 2016.