By Dow Jones Newswires

AFP/Getty Images
Asian equities were broadly lower Tuesday as a pause may have finally arrived for Japanese stocks.
After gaining in seven straight sessions, the Nikkei /zigman2/quotes/210597971/delayed JP:NIK +2.41% fell more than 2%. Nissan shares /zigman2/quotes/208298710/delayed JP:7201 +1.43% fell after a Reuters report said the auto maker’s board will meet to discuss a replacement for former Chairman Carlos Ghosn, who was arrested last week. Elsewhere, Nintendo /zigman2/quotes/208063194/delayed JP:7974 +0.80% fell around 5% while Kobe Steel /zigman2/quotes/207391157/delayed JP:5406 -0.30% fell about 6%. Konica Minolta /zigman2/quotes/205772223/delayed JP:4902 +1.86% was among the biggest gainers.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index /zigman2/quotes/210598030/delayed HK:HSI +1.54% moved in volatile fashion but closed with a fresh high that marked the best since late September. Energy stocks fell, with Sinopec /zigman2/quotes/202085942/delayed HK:386 -0.93% down more than 1.1%. Tech, financials and property shares were also weak while typical safe-haven utilities outperformed.
Both the Shanghai Composite /zigman2/quotes/210598127/delayed CN:SHCOMP +1.21% and the smaller-cap Shenzhen Composite /zigman2/quotes/210598015/delayed CN:399106 +2.42% were fractionally higher.
South Korea’s Kospi /zigman2/quotes/210598069/delayed KR:180721 -2.80% was down 0.8%, as chip makers Samsung /zigman2/quotes/209800866/delayed KR:005930 -3.28% and SK Hynix /zigman2/quotes/206420319/delayed KR:000660 -4.71% each fell more than 2%. Singapore’s Strait Times Index /zigman2/quotes/210597985/delayed SG:STI +0.91% was off almost 1%, while Taiwan’s Taiex edged down, with Taiwan Semiconductor c /zigman2/quotes/207385621/delayed TW:2330 -4.57% dipping despite an upgrade from Daiwa, which predicted big gains in the chip maker’s AI business by 2020.
Australia’s ASX 200 /zigman2/quotes/210598100/delayed AU:XJO +1.74% dropped as the financial sector fell again. Australia & New Zealand Banking Group /zigman2/quotes/205482049/delayed AU:ANZ +1.60% was down nearly 1%, along with Commonwealth Bank /zigman2/quotes/200638713/delayed AU:CBA +3.13% and National Bank of Australia /zigman2/quotes/210431826/delayed AU:NAB +2.03% . Additionally, the Reserve Bank of Australia left interest rates unchanged at their historic low of 1.5%. New Zealand’s NZX-50 /zigman2/quotes/211587880/delayed NZ:NZ50GR +0.61% slipped.















































