Most stock markets in Asia were down on Thursday, ahead of the release of key U.S. data on claims for unemployment benefits and non-farm productivity.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was down 1.86%, the Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.28% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.57%.
The Nikkei 225 Index slipped 0.46% as shares in Japan were dragged down by Toyota Motor's 3.5% tumble, amid concerns over the company's recall of vehicles.
However, South Korea's Kospi Composite Index gained 0.09%.
Later Thursday, the United States was set to release weekly report on Initial Jobless Claims, an important indicator of overall economic health, and a report on the productivity of U.S. workers, excluding the agriculture sector.
The outlook for U.S. markets, meanwhile, was mixed. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures indicated a drop of 0.08% and S&P 500 index futures pointed to a slide of 0.01%, but Nasdaq 100 Index futures indicated an increase of 0.07%.