Asian stocks trade lower on weak US data, anticipated ECB meet

HONG KONG: Asian markets slipped on Thursday after US stocks tumbled on the back of weak employment and manufacturing data, as dealers eyed a policy meeting of the European Central Bank (ECB) later in the day.

Tokyo closed down 0.76 percent, or 105.31 points at 13,649.04, Seoul fell 0.34 percent, or 6.74 points to finish at 1,957.21, while Sydney ended 0.70 percent, or 36.2 points lower at 5,130.0.