Tokyo Nikkei 225 down 0.16%, S&P ASX 200 down 0.81% (Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Tokyo , 19 Jul - Asian shares closed broadly lower after losses on Wall Street overnight.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan down 1.53%, further retreating from a more than two-year high.

In the region's stock market dealings technology shares extended yesterday's sharp drop as chipmakers tracked their US peers lower on profit taking after a recent rally, with expectations of US interest rate cuts sparking a pivot into economically sensitive sectors.

Persistent concerns over a renewed trade war between the US and China also continued to weigh on the technology sector. According to a Bloomberg report, the US is considering slapping stricter trade restrictions if companies including Tokyo Electron and ASML continue supplying chip technology to the country.

Increased speculation over a a second term for Donald Trump also kept sentiment in check after the US Republican presidential candidate said in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek earlier this week that Taiwan should pay the US for defense.

Traders also assessed Japan's inflation numbers for fresh clues on the Bank of Japan's potential moves at its monetary policy meeting on July 30 and 31.

Headline inflation in June was unchanged at 2.8%, while core inflation, which strips out prices of fresh food, accelerated to 2.6%, from 2.5% in May.

The Nikkei index closed down 0.16% at 40,063 points, in Sydney the S&P ASX 200 closed down 0.81% at 7,971 points, while in Seoul the KOSPI closed down 1.03% at 2,795 points.

The Shanghai Composite index was down 0.03% at 2,976 points and the Hong Kong Hang Seng index was down 2.01% at 17,421 points. In Mumbai the Sensex index slid 0.47% to 80,964 points.

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(RADIOCOR) 19-07-24 09:02:04 (0161) 5 NNNN