South Korea's KOSPI is bucking the trend, up 0.9 percent after a renewed upturn in the technology sector, AFP reports.
The trend is downward on stock exchanges in other parts of Asia. The Shenzhen index and the Hong Kong-based Hang Seng are down 1.0 percent, while Shanghai is down 0.4 percent.
The Nikkei 225 started the day at record levels. The main Japanese index was briefly above 60,000 points. However, by lunchtime the trend had reversed, and the index was down 1.1 percent. The broader Topix followed suit, losing 1.2 percent.
