Asian stock markets fall

Asian stocks were broadly lower on Thursday as investors weighed financial reports from Wall Street. Asia-Pacific stocks were broadly lower on Thursday as investors on Wall Street weighed financial reports from names such as Netflix, IBM and Morgan Stanley. While many of the companies that reported beat analysts’ low-end estimates, investors were also rattled by misses from major companies. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.1 percent, but the Topix edged lower as Japan’s trade deficit hit a record 21.7 trillion yen ($161.14 billion) for its full fiscal year ending in March. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was flat, while South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.34 percent and the Kosdaq fell 1.63 percent. Mainland Chinese stocks also fell, with the Shanghai Composite Index down 0.58 percent and the Shenzhen Component Index down 0.44 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.25 percent, reversing earlier gains, and the Hang Seng Tech index fell 0.39 percent.