Asia stocks sag to one

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img src="http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20131120&t=2&i=813662742&w=&fh=&fw=&ll=580&pl=378&r=CBRE9A3085100" width="600"/><br /><p>Credit: Reuters/Toru Hanai</p><br /><p>1 of 8. A visitor walks past logos at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo June 13, 2013.</p><br /><p>Stocks dropped on talk of the Fed's stimulus withdrawal, with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO both shedding about 0.3 percent.</p><br /><p>Federal Reserve officials indicated at the bank's October 29-30 policy meeting that they could decide to start scaling back the asset purchases at one of its next few meetings provided this was warranted by economic growth.</p><br /><p>'The headline that most participants saw tapering in the next couple of meetings cannot be much of surprise, since the alternative is a virtual indefinite postponement,' said Steven Englander, global head of G10 FX strategy at CitiFX.</p><br /><p>'That said, the 5 percent probability associated with a December tapering seemed too low so there may have been an unwinding of somewhat overly dovish expectations,' Englander wrote in a note to clients.</p><br /><p>The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of major currencies, last stood at 81.032 .DXY after climbed 0.4 percent on Wednesday in its biggest one-day gain in about two weeks.</p><br /><p>The euro was slightly lower at $1.3435, and was also buying 143.40 yen, well off a four-year high of 135.94 yen touched on Wednesday.</p><br /><p>The dollar was a touch firmer against its Japanese counterpart, buying 100.13 yen.</p><br /><p>The euro plunged on Wednesday after a Bloomberg report said the ECB was considering cutting its deposit rate, one of its two key interest rates, to below zero. An ECB spokesperson declined to comment on the report.</p><br /><p>Late on Thursday, the Bank of Japan will conclude a two-day policy meeting. The central bank is expected to maintain its ultra-loose monetary policy and debate how weak exports and swinging expectations about when the Fed will taper its stimulus may affect Japan's economic recovery.</p><br /><p>In commodities trading, Brent crude oil rose about 0.9 percent to $107.92. It surged by more than $1 a barrel on Wednesday after a U.S. official said it would be 'very hard' to get a nuclear agreement with Iran this week.</p><br /><p>U.S. oil futures for January delivery slipped about 0.1 percent to $93.78, after reversing gains on Wednesday following release of the Fed minutes.</p><br /><p>(Editing by Shri Navaratnam)</p><br /></div>

Business Asia stocks sag to one

Credit: Reuters/Toru Hanai 1 of 8. A visitor walks past logos at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo June 13, 2013. Stocks dropped on talk of ...

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