Asian shares fall as caution sets in on coronavirus worries

Asian shares are falling as caution set in among investors following another wobbly day of trading on Wall Street

Asian shares fell Thursday as caution set in among investors after banks and industrial companies helped lift stocks mostly higher on Wall Street. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 edged down 0.2% in afternoon trading to 28,024.44. South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.5% to 3,205.83 after jigsawing earlier in the day. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost earlier gains to be little changed, inching down less than 0.1% to 7,580.40. Hong Kong's Hang Seng declined 0.5% to 26,531.74, while the Shanghai Composite fell 0.3% to 3,523.91. Worries in the region remained about the recent regulatory crackdown in China. Analysts said the next target appeared to be the online insurance industry. “This comes amid increasing COVID-19 risks, with further tightening of restrictions in several cities potentially impacting the services sector near-term,” said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG in Singapore.