Tokyo Nikkei 225 down 0.22%, S&P ASX 200 down 0.31% (Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Tokyo , 04 Jun - Asian shares outside China closed lower, halting a two-day rebound after losses on Wall Street overnight.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.4% after rising 1.4% yesterday and dropping 2.5% last week.

Caution prevailed in the region ahead of the release of US labor data and a string of key central bank meetings. The European Central Bank and the Bank of Canada are expected to slash rates this week, while the Federal Reserve is seen keeping rates steady next week.

The Sydney ASX 200 dropped following weak economic readings for the first quarter, with a survey showing that Australian companies posted weaker-than-expected gross operating profits while the country slipped into a current account deficit.

Indian stock led the loses in the region, tumbling from record highs hit yesterday as early vote counting from the 2024 general elections showed that prime minister Narendra Modi's BJP party was poised for a less sweeping win in than the exit polls had suggested, with opposition party Indian National Congress gaining some ground in the lower house.

In Asian stock market dealings technology shares slid, after soaring yesterday as US giant Nvidia Corporation unveiled a new line of artificial intelligence chips amid rapidly growing demand from the booming industry.

The Nikkei index closed down 0.22% at 38,837 points, in Sydney the S&P ASX 200 closed down 0.31% at 7,737 points, while in Seoul the KOSPI closed down 0.76% at 2,662 points.

The Shanghai Composite index was up 0.48% at 3,093 points and the Hong Kong Hang Seng index was up 0.66% at 18,525 points.

In Mumbai the Sensex index was down 4.55% at 72,990 points.

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(RADIOCOR) 04-06-24 09:12:19 (0183) 5 NNNN