Asia Shares Slip As BOJ Sets Meeting, U.S. Inflation Slows

Asia stocks slipped on Monday in a subdued start to a week where Japan's central bank might move further away from its ultra-easy policies, while a key reading on US inflation is expected to support market pricing of interest rate cuts there, as reported by Wayne Cole for Reuters.

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) is set to meet on Tuesday amid speculation that it is considering how and when to move away from negative interest rates.

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) is set to meet on Tuesday amid speculation that it is considering how and when to move away from negative interest rates. Although analysts polled by Reuters did not anticipate a definitive move at this meeting, policymakers might initiate the groundwork for an eventual shift.

Japan's Nikkei lost 1.2%, influenced in part by a stronger yen. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dipped 0.5%.

South Korea's main index remained flat, showing no apparent reaction to reports of North Korea firing a ballistic missile off its east coast. Chinese blue chips edged up 0.2%, following five consecutive weeks of declines.

S&P 500 futures inched up 0.1%, while Nasdaq futures were nearly flat. EUROSTOXX 50 futures slipped 0.4%, and FTSE futures 0.2%.

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