The Nikkei 225 came under pressure as the....>

STOCKS: The Nikkei 225 came under pressure as the JPY crosses were subjected to

some hedging flow which promoted some modest JPY strength, and reversed the

index's early gains, and more, as consumer staples provided the most weight on a

sectoral basis. Conversely the financial sector was the outperformer,

benefitting from the higher yield environment triggered by U.S. Tsys. The Index

last trades 0.7% lower.

- The Hang Seng felt the brunt of geopolitical tensions between the U.S. & China

in the South China Sea, with the Chinese mainland still observing a market

holiday, shedding 1.7%.

- Australia's ASX 200 bucked the regional trend, adding 0.5%, as the heavyweight

energy and materials sectors moved higher, alongside the financial sector.

- U.S. index futures continued to edge lower, following the late yield inspired

sell off on Wednesday